Unsettling Realizations
by Didi
Summary: General Hospital my way - beginning with Jason's secrets coming tolight and a mob war on the rise. Chapter 35: Luke shares his information; Carly shares her news; Enrique shares his plans and Lucky shares his joy.
1. Taking Responsibilities

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, if I'm not mistaken, is owned by the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. I don't own it, never imagine that I will; I've come to turns with that and so should you. No profit is being made from this little adventure and none shall be in the future. No infringement intended though we all know it's actually happening. I'll stop if you tell me to; no need to sue.

**Summary**: Jason finds something rather unexpected as he deals with the truth coming out and everyone reacts accordingly. Oh, and the mob wars take a rather nasty turn. (This will be an ensemble piece.)

**Timeline (better read this)**: I think I'm going take this into early May 2007. Liz is on the verge of giving birth. Maxie somehow (I don't care how) finds out about the baby's paternity and spills the beans to the world. Lucky, distraught and destroyed, leaves Liz in search of some understanding to his life. Liz is determined to hang onto Lucky because (surprise, surprise) she really _does_ love Lucky and wants to be with him and to make amends. Sam, even more devastated than Lucky given her now inability to conceive, finds herself unable to forgive Jason for his silence and leaves town. Meanwhile, Lulu tries her best to fix things believing she was partly at fault for the destruction left in the wake of the truth about the baby coming out.

And here's where our story begins.

**Author's Note**: I'm not a big fan of Sam; I find her rather irritating. Don't particularly like Liz either, probably because I find myself agreeing with the annoying Maxie Jones on that the fact that Liz isn't the holy Madonna everyone makes her out to be. But then again, I've always liked the flawed characters a great deal more than the so-call 'perfect' ones; they are the ones that make stories interesting. (Which is probably why I like Liz now as a liar then I did when she was a 'saint.') No one really wants to see a perfect world… they want excitement and danger and all that loveliness. Another gripe is the premature demise of Lorenzo and Carly. I liked them as a couple and wished it doubly so since Laura Wright took over as Carly. Ted King and Laura Wright have remarkable chemistry and no one seem to want to play with that little more. (Actually I'm just pissed that the writers completely wasted Ted King as an actor and basically destroyed his character with non-action and stupid stories. Seriously, did he really need a kid?)

**Warning**: I really wasn't around for the height of General Hospital in the 80's and I have really faulty memory. Any discrepancy in the background stories… I apologize.

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Anyway questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 1 – Taking Responsibilities

* * *

**Though his face remain stoic and as stone-cold as the irritating Spinelli fondly accused him of being, Jason could feel his heart sink to the pit of his stomach without a bubble. He forced himself to stand there and watched the taxi carrying Sam McCall, the woman he thought he would be spending the rest of his life with, disappear down the street; forever gone. He stood there long after the taillights had flashed one last time at it as it turned down the street, as if daring him to do something about its departure. But he didn't, he couldn't, he wouldn't. He stood there while the sun slowly set behind the buildings around him, delaying the inevitable return to the cold lonely home that had once held such promises. 

In fact, he was still standing there when Lesley Lu Spencer came racing up, her big blue eyes wide with distress. "Jason?"

He was slow to react; it was difficult to think at the moment. "What is it?"

"Where's Sam?" Lulu asked, her eyes starting to search around the street, as if Sam would appear around the corner at any moment. "Jason, where's…"

"Gone," he said dully and turned around to head back to his penthouse. He wasn't up for the company and didn't particularly feel like being polite.

Lulu was stunned beyond her own comprehension and felt as if a building had collapsed on her again. (Really, with the exception of a rare few, most average Americans cannot claim to understand what that feels like.) She stood where Jason had been for the last fifteen minutes and stared down the same street, her mind racing for a moment before it came to a screeching halt at simply nothing for a moment. She was suddenly cold with guilt, regret and simply exhaustion.

Jason had almost reached the building when he noticed that the usually resilient and endearingly tenacious Lulu was not nipping at his heels as were her wont. He had resignedly accepted the fact that the Spencer women, namely Carly and Lulu, were forever going to be a constant in his life. There is just simply no getting around that inescapable fact. Returning to the young blond (Jason inwardly grimaced when he realized that he had mentally called her 'the blond one'), he studied Lulu's unhappy face for a moment. "Lulu?" She turned to look at him with eyes too old for such a youthful face; he forgets sometime that she was so very young, not even out of her teens yet. "What's the matter?"

She ducked her head, letting her hair shield her eyes from him. He gave her a moment. He was patient. When she was ready, he barely heard the softly spoken, "I'm sorry."

Confused, he asked, "For what?"

When she finally looked up it was with brimming eyes and a helpless look. Lulu looked around the half empty street and made a feeble motion, "For everything."

For whatever the reason, Jason almost felt like smiling for the first time in days. The young Spencer girl may not know it but every day she reminded him more and more of her cousin in that illogical and often times headache inducing ways. But no one can ever say that Carly wasn't big hearted and loyal to a fault… and so was Lulu; it made them ridiculously hard to walk away from. Shaking his head at her, "Come on," and motioned her toward the doors.

Hesitating for half a minute, she scuffed her feet a little and swivel about toward the building.

Jason did smile at her very teenage show of discontent (much resembling Carly in that split second) and almost missed seeing the black sedan pull around the corner. There was nothing about the car that should have screamed out "DANGER" but Jason has long learned to listen to his instincts; it's saved his life on more than one occasion now. Plus the black-tinted windows was a dead giveaway.

"Lulu," he called out as he ran toward her, seeing the car windows lowered and silver glinted in the fading light. "Get down!"

In retrospect, Jason acknowledged that he probably shouldn't have shouted her name which in turn distracted her attention. Lulu turned and froze those precious few seconds when she could have been finding cover as bullets greeted her in a deafening roar. She didn't scream until the first bullet hit her. She stopped screaming when the second one ripped through her side and grazed her lower rib before ricocheting off to lodge into the side of the building. Jason took her down at a dead run, ignoring the hot sizzling pain in his left arm where a bullet no doubt had found all too human flesh. Rolling Lulu into the side of a parked car, Jason cursed himself for not being armed.

It was a good thing several of the apartments beneath his penthouse was the residence of his men. The noise brought them forth.

Several minutes and a few dozen bullets later, Jason slowly eased himself off the strangely silent Lulu. If there's one thing Jason's learned from Carly it's that Spencer women don't suffer pain in silence. Lulu was unconscious. A quick check revealed a head wound that Jason didn't want to explore too thoroughly. At least there weren't a profound amount of blood there.

"Get the car," he ordered as Howard and Carlos rushed over to check on him while the others continue to cover their position.

Picking up Lulu as the black SUV screeched around the corner, Jason silently prayed that girl in his arms was okay. Aside from her being Carly's favorite cousin and Lucky having enough reasons at the moment to despise him, Jason genuinely liked and respected Lesley Lulu Spencer. She may be impulsive and often times irrational but she was one of the truly good souls in Port Charles and he was sorry that she got caught up in this mixed up world. "Hospital and drive _fast_," he said as he settled Lulu's head carefully against his shoulder, bracing her body against the bouncing of the car. She didn't wake, didn't move, didn't do anything more than lay there like a limp rag doll against his side.

Jason had a momentarily flash of a nightmare, of another young woman motionless, pale and bleeding in his arms and how in those moments both of their lives changed.

-&-&-&-

"Jason," Carly's striking blond beauty was hard to miss among the dullness of the hospital waiting room. Concern was written plainly on her pretty face as she hurried over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, almost choking him with affection. "I heard there was a shooting outside the penthouse. Are you all right?" She had literally dropped everything when the news hit her.

Gently pushing her away, Jason nodded his head silently and glanced to one side.

Carly followed his gaze to see Lucky and Nikolas staring back expressionlessly. Brows wrinkled with confusion, Carly opened her mouth to ask a question when Luke rushed into the room, stopping short at the sight of Carly.

"What happened?" Luke demanded of Carly, ignoring Tracy who had been following too close and plowed into his back.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," Carly replied rather sourly at Luke's snapping tone but decided not to make an issue of it for the moment. She turned back to Nikolas and Lucky again. "What are you two doing here?"

The two were silent for a moment before Nikolas sighed and tilted his chin toward Jason. "Ask your friend."

Returning her gaze to Jason, Carly was about to do just that when Dr. Noah Drake walked slowly into the room, his face ravaged by exhaustion. The flu has decimated the ranks of the medical staff and Dr. Drake Sr. was working on hour thirty-six now. "Lesley Lu Spencer?"

"Father," Luke pronounced pointing to himself.

Noah smiled at that. "She looks like Laura."

"She's her baby," Luke replied with the kind of adoring fondness that only a father could ever express.

"And she's a very lucky baby," Noah replied as he flipped open the chart in his hand. With so many doctor's out, he's been forced to cover the ER more than once now; it was there that he remembered why he became a surgeon. "The bullets were both through-and-through's, very little damage all things considering. The blood loss was considerable but she's young and healthy; it'll be a few weeks before she's back to full strength again. She's got a pretty serious concussion so I'd like to keep her here overnight for observations."

Luke frowned, "Bullets? A concussion?" his eyes immediately narrowed on Jason.

Jason didn't duck his role in this. "The concussion my fault," he had been more concerned about the bullets then about cushioning her fall.

Lucky's eyes darkened in anger, "_All _of this is your fault."

Carly frown at him but for the first time wasn't quick to jump to Jason's defense. She understood betrayal. And Jason understood the significance of Carly's silence; if it had been anyone but Lulu…

A quick hand to his brother's arm stopped what would have no doubt have been a tirade of bitter pain. Nikolas sighed, he loved Lucky and understood his hurt; but now wasn't the time for it. "What was Lulu doing at penthouse anyways?"

"Yes," Luke added suspiciously as he eyed Sonny Corinthos's right hand man, "What was my baby girl doing at your hideout?" He's resigned himself to the fact that Lucky's job will forever be putting him in the line of fire and against his former friends and business partners. But his little girl… that was a whole other story. While he knew he couldn't protect Lulu forever, what with her growing more and more like his beloved Laura and himself, it didn't mean he wasn't going to try until the day he died. "And how did she get caught in the middle of whatever the hell you were doing?"

Jason didn't respond.

Noah cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Mr. Morgan," he really wished he didn't have to be the one to do this, "Ms. Spencer is asking for you."

There was a long and heavy silence as all kinds of thoughts raced through half a dozen minds before Jason got up and followed Dr. Drake out the room. No one said a word; no one knew what to say.

"Caroline…" Luke warned.

"Don't," Carly held her hand up palm forward toward Luke. "I don't know anything."

Tracy gave a snort of disbelief. "Oh yes, the mobster's moll doesn't know anything about…"

Standing, Carly came right up to Luke and met him steely blue eyes to steely blue eyes. "I'm telling you that I don't know anything," she reemphasized with the kind of honestly that she knew only Lucas Lorenzo Spencer could truly understand. Carly loved Jason but Lulu was family; the youngest Spencer was the sister Carly never had growing up. There wasn't anything Carly wouldn't do for Lulu.

Luke acknowledged Carly's words for what they were; a declaration of loyalty. "Okay then." He hadn't a doubt in his mind that Carly was going to be finding out what the hell _did_ happen.

"That's it?" Tracy demanded. "What's all you've got to say? That is your daughter laying there with a pair of bullet holes in her." When neither one of them answered and only regarded her with identical Spencer-smartass look, she threw her hands in the air and gave up. Really, there was simply no dealing with the two of them.

"Lucky?" Elizabeth was out of breath and leaning heavily against the archway to the waiting area. She had practically ran down to the fourth floor (quite a feat considering she waddled everywhere on swollen ankles these days) when she had heard of Lulu being admitted and that Lucky was downstairs. Visions of a bloodbath had danced in her head all the way down the stairs. She visually checked her estranged husband for wounds. "Are you alright?"

Lucky tensed visibly and looked away. Brown eyes that radiated tenderness played havoc on his heart and he knew without a doubt that he would simply come apart if he spoke to her; allowed her back into his life. "I need coffee," he told Nikolas and left the room without a backward glance.

"I'll come with you," Nikolas said hurrying to catch up, never once looking at Elizabeth.

Liz stood where she was, her heart crushed under the weight of Lucky's pain. She clutched the wall, praying that no one would see her shaky hands.

"Can you really blame him?" Carly asked softly; not unkindly, just honestly.

She couldn't even look up. Elizabeth knew she had been wrong; wrong about a lot of things. The biggest of which was never telling Lucky the truth, letting him believe a lie that ultimately destroyed him and his love for her more thoroughly than any addiction ever could. And though she loathed Carly, "Is he all right?"

For whatever the reason (and she wasn't about to examine it too closely), Carly felt charitable enough to answer, "Lucky's fine, physically anyways. There was a drive by at Jason's penthouse; Lulu got caught in the cross fire."

Elizabeth forced herself not to ask about _him_. "How's Lulu?"

"She'll recover," Carly answered abruptly, "And _he's_ find too," then walked away. She's done her good deed for the day.

The baby kicked viciously then, letting Liz know that it heard. Rubbing her belly, Liz considered her next step… but really, she didn't know what to do next.

"He'll come around," Luke said kindly, seeing the conflict and pain in Liz's eyes.

The kindness from Lucky's father only made Liz feel lower, welling her eyes with tears that she knew were useless. "I'm not sure he will."

"You have to learn to fight for what you want, kiddo," Luke advised and looked toward where his eldest had disappeared. "Ain't no one going to just hand it to you. If you want him, don't let him get away and _don't wait_."

Tracy elbowed Luke in the side, knowing every well that the child Liz carried was now a Quartermaine and therefore a heir to the vast fortune that came with the name. She also remembered that her brother's ridiculous will had left a bulk of his estate to the child Elizabeth Webber Spencer now carried. _"Over my dead body."_

"What should I do?" Liz asked even knowing it was unfair to Luke. "How do I make him see that I love him and that I… I…" she looked down at her expanded belly and wished not for the first time that the baby inside truly was Lucky's.

"That baby," Luke said wisely for someone who fully acknowledged the fact that he was no great father himself, "Will be Lucky's if you and him want it to be. Doesn't matter that Morgan is also a part of its life, that's _your_ child and you decide who gets to be an influence in their life."

It took a moment for the words and their meaning to make its way through Elizabeth's overly stressed head but she finally got it. Nodding her head, Liz gave her father-in-law a smile of thanks and left, knowing her presence wouldn't help Lucky at the moment and Lucky needed peace for his sister's sake.

"Why did you do that?" Tracy screeched as she whacked Luke hard across the forearm.

Luke raised a bushy brow at her. "What's the matter, Spanky? Did you _want_ Jason to produce the next Quartermaine heir?"

Amazed, Tracy was flabbergasted for a moment.

"Remember," Luke pointed out, "AJ's boy Michael is Michael _Corinthos_ and not Michael _Quartermaine_."

Closing her mouth because she did realize that it was rather unsightly, Tracy was quite impressed by her husband. "Why Luke…"

"Don't get me wrong," Luke interrupted before she got any ideas, "I still get something out of it: a grandkid. This isn't me being altruistic."

Tracy merely grinned at him.

-&-&-&-

Jason hated hospitals. It was the one place in the world he truly disliked. The white walls, the starchy hospital gowns, the smell of disinfectants in the air; it all reminded him of unpleasant things. Closing the door softly, he stood at the foot of the bed for a moment, just staring.

Lulu was just barely visible among the white sheets and plastic tubes. Her translucent skin made even paler by the shortage of blood in her system. Her blond hair, soft and curled, laid like a halo around her lightly freckled face. Her eyes fluttered open when the door shut. It took her a moment to focus but when she recognized him she smiled. "Hey."

He didn't say anything, just pulled a chair close and sat by her side. When she just stared at him rather hazily, he asked, "You wanted to see me?"

Blinking, "I think…." She blinked again, "I think they gave me drugs before they stapled me back together again," smiling vaguely. "I guess that's a good thing."

Nodding, because he didn't know what else to do, "I'm going to arrange for…"

"Are you okay?" she asked suddenly, blinking rapidly to shave off her exhaustive need to sleep.

Glancing briefly at the sleeve of his jacket, he nodded. "I'm fine."

Lulu's eyes followed his gaze to the bloody hole on his left arm. "Oh my god! You've been shot!" then winced when the sound of her own raising voice hurt her brain. "Ow…"

Moving around her oxygen tube, Jason helped Lulu turn to her side as waves of nausea had the room spinning. "Doctor said you have a bad concussion."

"Thanks for the news flash," Lulu replied when she could finally speak without wanting to gag. Laying back, she allowed Jason to adjust the blanket around her first before demanding, "Let me see."

"What?"

"Your arm," as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Let me see."

He frowned at her, finding this rather ridiculous. "Lulu, you don't need to…"

"I want to see it," she said reaching over to tug on this other arm, "Let me see, let me see." She tugged hard enough to dislodge her oxygen tub again.

"Stop that," he gently took her by the arm and pushed her back into bed, reattaching the nose tub again (he's not sure why they didn't have her a mask). Because Lulu was wearing the same kind of mulish look on her face Carly gets when she was determined to have her way, he peeled back the jacket and showed her the thick white bandage on his arm where Monica had lovingly bound his wound. His mother had tisked at him the entire time and begged him to be more careful but she hadn't asked him for anything else; no judgment, no recriminations.

Lulu nodded when she was satisfied and leaned back in her bed. "When I asked if you were fine, I wasn't asking if you had been shot."

Though Jason found this to be a little strange considering the girl was sitting there with two bullet holes, he didn't say anything. He's long since learned to keep his thoughts to himself. It's less painful that way.

"How are you doing?" Lulu asked again, her earnest eyes boring holes at him. When Jason merely stared back at her expressionlessly, Lulu sighed and felt stupid. "Okay, dumb question but I had to ask, didn't I?"

A tiny stab of a headache began at the back of his head; it happens so often now that he was almost use to it. "Lulu, I have no idea what you're talking about."

She was about to let loose a sarcastic remark when she turned and looked at him. He wore the same expressionless look. _"Okay, maybe he doesn't know."_ She reached up, winced when the IV in her arm pricked her again and scratched her head. Jason was quick to grab her arm, yet again, and forced it down to her side. Deciding the men were dense, Jason was not normal and wishing she had stayed in bed that morning, Lulu sighed. "How are you doing in regards to Sam leaving?" Though there was little change to his hardened expression, Jason's eyes revealed a great deal more to Lulu than he would ever know. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze; letting him know without words how sorry she was.

Jason stared down at the soft little pale hand in his. He could name on one hand with fingers to spare people that he allowed to touch him. It was a short list that hasn't varied much over the years and briefly wondered how Luke Spencer's daughter managed to make that list; and yet, there it was. Curling his finger around hers, he gave himself a moment to allow her to comfort him and grieved for what he has lost. Keeping her injuries - the ones that were no doubt due to his presence - firmly in mind, Jason tucked her arm back under the blanket and said sternly, "You should rest."

She smiled sadly at him, not the least affected by his manners. "I should have said something sooner. If the truth had come out sooner, maybe Sam would still be around, maybe my brother wouldn't be so hurt, maybe…"

"Stop." Shaking his head at her, there were too many maybes there. "It wasn't your place."

"But I knew," she pointed out for the umpteenth time. "I knew and I chose to say quiet."

"_We_ chose to stay quiet; all of us."

"But…"

"You shouldn't have been burden with something like that," Jason admitted rather painfully. He understood that. Forcing Lulu to stay quiet had cost them all a great deal, especially her. It was never easy to betray someone you love and Lulu loved her brother like nothing else in the world. "It was wrong for me to have asked that of you."

Lulu made a face at him. "You didn't exactly put a gun to my head… though you're probably one of the few people that could," she mused randomly. "Look, I know what I did," the look she gave him that reminded him that she saw too much of the world, "I know that actions have consequences and I'm willing to take responsibility for my own. You don't have to make this okay for me."

"I'm not."

"Yeah, you are," she gave him a look that chided him for playing her off. "But I guess you can't help it," she conceded with a sleepy sigh. "Carly must really love that about you."

"Carly and I are friends," Jason said automatically out of sheer habit then added, "We have a mutually beneficial relationship," because she was Lulu.

"The bad good guy or good bad guy… or whatever," Lulu gave a gentle snort of laughter. "Really, it's perfect," she murmured just before she drifted off to sleep.

Jason sat there and frowned at her. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of the whole conversation, and he was pretty certain he was going to get another headache trying, so he let it go… as he would if he were talking to Carly. Really, the resemblance was becoming too hard to ignore and it was becoming quite irritating. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted another drama-inducing Carly in his life. Though to be honest, none of the drama Lulu's created so far has actually been from her… it's been from him. It was his secret that caused the rift in Lulu's life, it was his insistence that she stay quiet that caused her anguish, it was his inability to let go of his child completely as he said he would that pushed Lulu to protect her brother. The drama in the young Spencer's life wasn't her doing, it was his. And now he was going to have to make sure she doesn't suffer for it; it was only right.

He was going to take responsibilities for his own actions.

But first… he's got to keep Lulu alive. Whoever shot at them must know by now who she was and that meant trouble.

Leaving the room, Jason pulled his phone out and hit speed dial. "It's me. We have a problem…"

_To be continue…._

My first venture into the world of Soaps! Hope it's a good one.


	2. Regrets

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, if I'm not mistaken, is owned by the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. I don't own it, never imagine that I will; I've come to turns with that and so should you. No profit is being made from this little adventure and none shall be in the future. No infringement intended though we all know it's actually happening. I'll stop if you tell me to; no need to sue.

**Summary**: Jason finds something rather unexpected as he deals with the truth coming out and everyone reacts accordingly. Oh, and the mob wars take a rather nasty turn. (This will be an ensemble piece.)

**Timeline (Read This Please)**: Go back to Chapter 1 and read the timeline there. Already done that? Great! Now I'm adding to it. Currently there's a stupid Nikolas story involving the notorious Mr. Craig: I hate it. I get that the writers need to give these characters things to do, conflicts to solve and such… but I really have no interest in Mr. Craig pass his deliciously devious turn as the head hostage taker. That story is over and I'm done wit it; plus it would be a real pain to attempt to write it in. Robin and Patrick's story has been bland ever since they got together. Emily and Nikolas are equally boring to me though I do love the romantic sense in them. So, I'm just going to ignore that whole plot devise and move on. You'll still see the four characters in my story but they will probably not be in the main plotline. Okay? Thanks.

And now, on with the story.

**Author's Note**: So this story is kind of a work in progress. I haven't really decided on couples yet other than Lucky and Liz, and that's mostly because I kind of want to redeem Lucky's character a bit more than what the show has already done. If you can't tell yet, Jason, Carly and Lulu are my favorite characters right now and I'll probably be giving them the bulk of the story. But I'm kind of rewritings to weave in my own ideas so there will be multiple plots running as if you're actually watching the show. Don't know how all of this is really going to work out so bear with me on this little journey. I'll strive to entertain.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Anyway questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 2 – Regrets

* * *

**

With the hot coffee cup slowly burning the insides of his palm, Lucky sat in the cafeteria waiting for his heart to return to normal and his mind to stop burning with images of Jason and Liz tangled together, creating the child that he had once thought his own. He thought of the many times Maxie Jones had warned him that Liz was lying to him, that Elizabeth didn't really love him and only took pity upon him. He remembered defending Liz to Maxie and Carly, listening to her excuses when he found her in close quarters with Jason, seeing her troubled eyes as they followed him around the Spencer house and the way Elizabeth had looked in her white gown as they took their vows once more in his mother's house. He remember the Lamaze classes, feeling the baby kick, watching the sonogram appear on the monitor during visits to the doctor's. He remembered picking out paint, buying toys, telling his mother of her new grandchild and promising to bring the baby to see his beautiful grandmother one day. He remembered so much… too much.

"Lucky…" Nikolas stared at his brother for a moment. There was nothing to be said. He couldn't even begin to fathom the kind of pain Lucky was dealing with. And in the back of his mind, Nikolas had a kernel of fear that Lucky would turn back to pills for comfort. God, this wasn't the time for any of this to be happening. After everything they've all gone through in the last year, they should have happily ever after. "Thank you."

Lucky turned his head, confusion overriding his own thoughts for a moment, "For what?"

"For not jumping on Jason earlier," the Cassadine prince clarified, "I know you wanted to. God knows, no one would really blame you if you had. But right now, with Lulu in the hospital like this…"

A tired, bitter smile answered that comment. Lucky sighed. "You're right, I wanted to but I couldn't. I…I'm just…" he shook his head and took a deep breath, his face ravaged with exhaustion. "I don't have the energy for it anymore. I don't want to fight with him, with anyone else right now. I just…. I feel so _numb_ from everything." It took every ounce of energy in him to get up and face the world every day. Everything little thing in his life seem to take double the energy, double the strength, double the effort, he simply didn't have anything left to fight with.

"I wish I had some kind of answer for you," Nikolas said, patting Lucky on his shoulder and, not for the first time, wishing his mother was around. He's never seen his brother so defeated, even at the lowest point in his life Lucky was a fighter; Spencers were born fighters. But the beaten down look in his brother's eyes scared Nikolas as nothing else would. "I'm here, you know, if you ever need anything or anyone to talk to. I can't say that…"

"Nik," Lucky stopped him with a sad smile that would have broken anyone's heart, "I'm not going to go back to drugs; I promised Mom that I wouldn't ever touch the stuff again and I mean to keep that promise. I've wasted enough of my life and lost too much because of that stuff. But I appreciate it." He patted his brother's back and sighed. "Right now, I want to concentrate on Lulu and whatever the hell she's gotten herself into. I swear, the girl is worse than Dad sometimes. At least with Dad, I know he can get himself out of trouble. But Lulu… she's had a hard year and I didn't exactly make it any easier on her with my drugs and secrets and…" he sighed stop this useless tirade. "God, the things I said to her last year when she needed me the most. I haven't really been a good brother to her lately."

"Don't," Nikolas warned, heartened by the determination in Lucky's eyes at the mention of Lulu. Maybe that's what he needed right now, something else to concentrate on other than Liz and the child that wasn't his. "You're not being fair to yourself and you're not being fair to Lulu." Nik pulled a tired hand through his hair. "Lulu understands a great deal more than you're giving her credit for. And while she will always appreciate having you watching her back, she's not a child anymore."

"I know," Lucky conceded with a helpless look. "Our baby sister is all grown up and making waves."

Nikolas had to laugh at that. "Yeah. You know about the three that's been panting after her, right?"

"The Three Stooges?" Lucky asked with a grin, "That's what Dad calls them."

"The what?"

"Nik, we're so going to have to catch you up on American culture," Lucky said getting up and tossing his now cold coffee away. "Come on, I want to see Lulu and get to the bottom of this."

-&-&-&-

Carly put her car into park and sat there for a moment, staring at the gates before her. She didn't know why she was here, only that she needed some answers. She would have much rather stay at the hospital and wait to speak with Lulu but things are too chaotic for the young Spencer and the last thing she wanted to do was bombard her with more questions. Besides, it's always a good idea to go straight to the source for a reliable answer.

With the safety of her young cousin in mind, Carly put the car into drive again and approached the gates as if she owned the place. When the guard that defended the gates popped his head out, she said in no uncertain terms, "I want to see Lorenzo."

Stunned and more than a little uncertain, the guard froze.

Carly gave an impatient sigh. "Get on the phone and tell Lorenzo that I want to see him _now_."

Swallowing, the guard picked up his phone and spoke in a harsh whisper while keeping one eye on the stunning former Mrs. Alcazar. He might have been mistaken but Carly Corinthos Alcazar seem to have become more stunning with time. Hanging up the phone, the guard approached the car cautiously. "Mr. Alcazar is waiting for you in the solarium," then hit the release button on the gate.

Without so much as a glance, Carly drove by with a breezy, "Thanks."

The house she had shared with Lorenzo hasn't changed so much as a stick since she left it. It was still at the height of elegance and reflected a great deal of the woman that had decorated it. Carly was rather surprised actually, she had fully expected Skye Quartermaine to have torn out everything in the house that had once belonged to her. _"I certainly would have."_ She smiled as she entered the solarium, fully expecting a verbal war with Skye yet again… as were their usual encounters. But she found only the master of the house.

"Carly," Lorenzo smoothed his necktie down with one hand and leaned against a cane to stand with the other. "This is a surprise."

"Is it?" Carly asked, tossing her purse down on the nearest flat surface and crossed her arms defiantly.

"You haven't been here since…" he paused, not certain he wanted to bring up their disaster of a marriage.

"Since they carted me out of here in a straitjacket?" Carly offered helpfully with ease.

Taking a breath, Lorenzo braced himself for Hurricane Carly. But then again, that was what he liked about her; the strength, the wit, unrelenting energy and determination and an ability to bring a man to his knees with just a simple mysterious twist of her lips. She was a burning candle that seemed to burn brighter and brighter, destined to burn itself out. When her mind collapsed, Lorenzo had been certain that it had broken the Carly he had known and desperately loved. But as unpredictable as the wind and every resilient like the willow tree, she fought back hard and came up on top once more. And now, standing there in the room she had created to be theirs, she was more stunningly brilliant than he remembered. Carly Corinthos simply refused to go quietly unnoticed.

"Skye here?" Carly asked somewhat a little surprised that Loranzo's champion wasn't already ready to scratch her eyes out the minute she walked through the threshold.

"No," Lorenzo answered coming closer. "She went to run some errands."

"Um…" Carly glanced around the room, a little unsettled by the fact that it had been left completely untouched by Skye's presence. _"Yeah, this isn't creepy at all."_ There was a haunting feel of déjà-vu.

"Is there something I can do for you, Carly?" he asked calmly, patiently waiting for her to get to the point of the visit. He considered briefly whether or not to ring for coffee or tea but concluded that it would be a waste of time. Carly wasn't here to play nice.

Squaring her shoulders, Carly turned back to Lorenzo with steely eyes. "I understand that there's a turf war going on between you and Sonny. I even understand that the two of you are going to be rising a ruckus and there's going to be some hurting going on. What I don't understand nor appreciate is you putting my baby cousin in the middle of all this. I get that you and Sonny and Jason all live dangerous and deadly lives, which by extension means that it sometimes spill over to those of _us_ that once upon a time shared your lives, and I get that there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I wouldn't dream of interfering in business, despite what that may do to my kids. But I will not stand back and watch you put Lulu into the mix, I'll bring down a world of trouble for you first."

Loranzo's eyes narrowed, all pretenses of illness gone. "Carly, what are you talking about?"

"Did you order a hit on Lulu?" she asked straight out.

"What?"

"Did you order a hit on Lulu? Or was she just collateral damage to your turf war?"

"Lulu is not involved."

"The two bullet holes she's currently sporting say otherwise," Carly informed him angrily.

Though he held himself perfectly still, Lorenzo couldn't hide the astonishment in his eyes. "Lulu's been shot?"

Carly was quiet for a moment. She's rush, not stupid; it was clear that Lorenzo was genuinely surprised by the news. "You didn't know."

Pulling himself together, "I would never hurt Lulu."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief. "It wasn't so long ago that you were trying to kill her and that computer kid."

"That was a misunderstanding," he said as if it was perfectly plausible.

Shaking her head, Carly sighed. "You almost sound like you believe that's true. It doesn't matter anyways. I'm just here to tell you that you do not get to pull Lulu into this war."

"I didn't," he restated a little more forcefully. "All my men have been given strict orders to never put her in danger in any way. Lulu is safe from me, now and always."

"Because you promised Skye so she and Lila Rae would live here with you?" Carly asked sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm sure that's a promise you'll keep in the heat of a moment. By the way, I think Skye has fitted right into this little life you've built."

Lorenzo stared at her, ignoring the dig. "Lulu is safe because she was one of Diego's true friends. I will honor my son's memories. Lulu has nothing to fear from me, I would never harm her; I give you my word."

There was silence as Carly studied the handsome face before her, trying to read the man she had once pledged her life to. One of the reasons she had once loved him was because he had integrity. "I think you really mean that."

He didn't deem the statement in need of an answer. "Whoever shot at Lulu does _not_ work for me."

"Jason," she corrected absentmindedly.

"Excuse me?"

"They were aiming for Jason," she clarified quietly, more than a little disturbed by this latest news. "Lulu simply got in the way."

"My men would never open fire on Morgan if Lulu had been in the vicinity. They've been ordered to protect her, not harm her."

"Do you think someone may have gone rogue? Gotten a little trigger happy?" she asked.

"No," was the answer given with absolute certainty. He ran a tight ship and every single man on his payroll knew the consequences of disobedience.

Carly frowned, her mind turning quickly as she got a sickeningly sinking feeling. She believed him; and Skye would never harm Lulu. Which means that the Alcazar organization wasn't involved in this… which means there's an unknown element here. Carly didn't like surprises (unless she's the one giving them). With still too many questions, she picked up her purse. "Thanks for the information," and started to head out.

"Is she all right?" Lorenzo asked, more than just a little concerned. Little girls are precious, in need of protection; otherwise they grow up to meet men like him.

"She'll live," Carly replied as she continued toward the door.

"Carly," he called out to her.

Stopping with her hand on the handle, Carly turned to look at him, noting the way he leaned heavily against his cane. Something tugged gently at her heart; he had been, after all, her husband. "How's your leg?"

Lorenzo glanced down, forgetting for the moment that he was still pretending to be weakened by the head wound. "I didn't think you cared," remembering the scene at the Metro Court several weeks ago where Carly had clearly stated that he deserved what he got.

Blue eyes softened, "I always care, Lorenzo," she told him, "I just hate saying it… especially to your girlfriend."

He gave her a smile that he's always reserved only for her. "I'll live," he replied.

She nodded and slipped out, leaving Lorenzo standing there watching the door close. He gave himself a moment to remember why he loved her, why she left him, why they weren't together anymore then pulled out his phone. "It's Alcazar. Someone shot at Morgan today and hit Lulu Spencer. I want to know everything there is about the incident."

-&-&-&-

Emily poked her head into Lulu's room, frowning at the sight of Jason sitting beside the young Spencer's bed looking tired and worn. She had seen Lulu's name appear on the floor chart and immediately decided to check on her. Lucky was her best friend, if there's something going on with Lulu, she wanted to know. She had been expecting a great many things but seeing her brother wasn't one of them. "Jason? What are you doing here?

Jason looked up and sighed when Emily entered quietly. Glancing at the sleeping Lulu, Jason motioned her out the door, fearing disturbing the girl. Closing the door behind him, "Lulu got caught in an ambush outside the penthouse."

"Oh my god," big brown eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you all…"

"I'm fine," Jason reassured her quickly, "Monica has already seen me; you don't have to worry."

Nodding her head in acceptance, because there was very little she could do, Emily frowned as she thought of the next question. "What was Lulu doing at your penthouse?"

"That's a question I'd like answer to myself," Luke asked as he strolled over. He glanced about, expecting his niece.

"How's Lulu?" Tracy asked without preamble, her body language exuding impatience.

Jason stared at the two for a moment without a word, his aunt and Lulu's father. "She's sleeping now."

Leaning to the side to look into the small window in the door, Luke stared at his little girl for a moment. Among the stark white sheets, Lulu looked so fragilely beautiful; just like his Laura. "What the hell is going on with you and my girl, Jason?"

Answering him would have just thrown oil onto the fire in regards to the situation with Liz and Lucky, so Jason chose the stay silent.

Tracy's eyes narrowed. "Where's Sam?" she had finally expected the trollop to be by Jason's side by now.

Again Jason was silent but Emily read the answer in his eyes. "Oh Jason…" she moved a little closer, her hand resting on his arm. "I'm so sorry." She didn't need to be doctor or a genius to know just how much Jason loved Sam McCall and what the recent events much have done to them.

"He's better off without her," Tracy stated without sympathy but with unrelenting loyalty to the family, her twisted version of it anyways. "She was just a little…"

"Tracy," Emily warned darkly, "Back off."

Jason didn't respond, merely patted Emily's hand in thanks and stepped away.

"Morgan," Lucky called out as he neared.

There were times when Jason really wish that his brain allowed him to express more emotions. Now would be one of those times where throwing a nice big tantrum would have been useful. _"Where's Carly when you need her?"_ Jason really had no desire to deal with this at the moment. He had other matters to deal with.

Nikolas greeted the group with a frown, except for Emily who offered him a smile of encouragement but did not leave her brother's side. "How is she?"

"Apparently sleeping," Luke answered dryly. "You didn't answer my question, Jason. What's my girl doing at your apartment?"

"She was looking for Sam," Jason finally answered patiently.

"Why would Lulu be looking for Sam?" Lucky asked without thought.

They all turned to Jason for answers but he was less inclined to give one. There was no need to drag Lulu further into this mess he's made by revealing the knowledge that the young Spencer had known about the paternity of Elizabeth's child for some time now. And because he couldn't lie (his brain really wasn't wired in that fashion), he stayed silent.

"I sent her," Carly announced with a smile as she came up behind them all, her purse tightly clutched in her hand. Her mind was still churning with thoughts. "How's Lulu?"

"Asleep," Emily, Lucky, Luke and Tracy answered immediately. They looked at each other uncomfortably and looked away.

"Jason?" Carly inquired with a arched look.

"I've already arranged for guards for her; she'll have 24 hour security," Jason answered, correctly interpreting the unspoken question. But there was something else, something in the lines on Carly's usually rebellious face that didn't sit right.

Letting out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, Carly nodded her thanks and motioned him away from the others. Luke and Lulu's brothers moved into the room, intent on seeing Lulu for themselves. Emily and Tracy, true to their Quartermaine form, watched Jason with equal parts careful and concerned eyes.

"What is it?" Jason asked the minute they were out of others earshot.

"It wasn't Loranzo's people," Carly said agitatedly. "He wasn't behind it."

Frowning, "You didn't go see him, right?"

Carly gave him a look.

Jason sighed. "Of course you did. Carly…"

"He wouldn't have hurt me," she replied defensively.

"You don't know that," Jason countered with more concerned than he wanted to admit to. There were very few people he counted on and Carly was most assuredly one of them. Though he suppose he should have counted her on doing something rash and dangerously like this.

"Of course I knew," Carly gave him a light shove on the shoulder, away from his wound. "Lorenzo is a lot of things… sentimental being one of his better qualities. He is not going to hurt me because a part of him will always want me," she pronounced without a least bit of ego. "I was his wife."

Unable to say anything, Jason sighed. "Are you sure he wasn't lying?"

"I'm sure," Carly replied with certainty. "Just as I'm sure he isn't going to hurt Lulu. He's given his word to Skye and I think having his little girl around made him soft… His people wouldn't have hurt Lulu; no way, no how; I don't care how good of an opportunity it was for them; no one is _that _stupid."

Jason was silent for a moment. "You do know that if he didn't do it…"

"We have a major problem," Carly finished with a nod. "Jason, promise me you'll be ridiculously careful from now on."

He nodded, because he knew she needed an answer (or nag it out of him), and glanced toward Lulu's room again. "I can't guarantee that she'll be safe at the Quartermaines without upping the security there. Edward would never agree to it."

"I'll handle it," Carly offered, already seeing the stress appearing on Jason's usually stoic face. "Don't worry about Lulu, I'll take care of her."

"Carly…"

"She's family," which put a stop to all arguments.

Reluctantly, Jason nodded. He didn't really have a whole lot of choices. This just became a bigger problem than he had first suspected.

_To be continued…_


	3. Thicker Than Water

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, if I'm not mistaken, is owned by the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. I don't own it, never imagine that I will; I've come to turns with that and so should you. No profit is being made from this little adventure and none shall be in the future. No infringement intended though we all know it's actually happening. I'll stop if you tell me to; no need to sue.

**Summary**: Jason finds something rather unexpected as he deals with the truth coming out and everyone reacts accordingly. Oh, and the mob wars take a rather nasty turn. (This will be an ensemble piece.)

**Timeline (Read This Please)**: Read the timelines snip-bit from Chapters 1 & 2 please. Also, I decided that Lulu has enough trouble without guys completely turning her life around. She's still behind the idea that it was better if she just remain friends with the trio. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the Three Stoogies are giving up on winning her heart.

Okay, let's continue with the story.

**Author's Note**: One of the things I love the most about Laura Wright (Carly) is that she's managed to revive the character and thrust her into the middle of Spencers instead of just have her hanging out on the mob scene. She's becoming a real influence in Lulu's life and the two have a great dynamic. It also doesn't hurt that they look enough alike to pull off the "family" relationship. Oh… and I was dealing with some stuff this summer and didn't get to watch the whole Lulu/Dillon abortion struggles (too bad, I heard it was really good stuff). I'm making up the details as I go now.

And the mob shoot out in The Cellar is the worse idea anyone on the GH writing staff could have come up with. It was terrible and not the least bit like that sophisticated men that Sonny and Lorenzo are purported to be. That's just get rid of that, shall we? And (spoiler alert for the series) why, why have they decided to kill of Lorenzo? I really despise the writers right now. And I'm going off cannon… which I already have, haven't I?

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Anyway questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 3 – Thicker Than Water

* * *

**

Lulu sipped the juice judicially and watched wearily as Milo, Dillon and Spinelli argued at the foot of her bed, having seemingly forgotten her presence. While their antics were amusing in general, right now it was giving her a very bad headache. And right now, she was too tired and lightheaded to do anything about it. Sighing, she again reminded herself that it had been a very wise decision to not date any of them and simply stay friends. Too bad the boys didn't see it that way; they were each determined to prove to her that they were the only ones worthy of her affections. As flattering as the idea was, she was finding it to be a rather nuisance.

"I've been sent here to protect her," Milo stated once more and crossed his arms defensively, "Which means that I actually have a reason to be here."

"Oh contraire, Oh Muscled Bound," Spinelli countered, "It just means you're the hired help and should be _outside_ of the room. The Blonde One does not need the constant reminder of what she's had endure with your presence."

"I'm her stepbrother; I'm family and therefore allowed to visit." Dillon said, hating to use that particular excuse, especially when he knew what Spinelli would…

"That doesn't apply when she's not in ICU, Almost Incestuous One," Spinelli replied as expected.

"Guys" Lulu said trying to get their attention, her head pounding pretty badly. When none of them so much as acknowledged her other than the usual "hang on a minute" motion with their free hands, she buried her aching head in her hands.

"I'm here to take care of Lulu," Milo interjected, taking Spinelli by the arm. "And that would include making sure that she gets plenty of rest. So, visitor's hours are over and…"

"I don't think so," Dillon said, ducking the arm that had made a grab at him. "You are supposed to make sure no bullets come at her. I'm here to…"

"What is going on here?" Barbara Jean Spencer asked loudly as she looked around the room. She frowned at the lot of them. "Gentlemen, this is a hospital, not a boxing hall. Take your argument outside.

"But…" Spinelli protested.

"Outside," Bobbie said, balancing the medicine tray on one arm and pointing to the door with the others. "All of you."

Dillon made an effort to get from booted out of the room. "Bobbie, we were just discussing…"

"Well, you can all discuss whatever it was you were discussing at the top of your lungs outside," she pointed to the door again and looked around expectedly. "Boys? Out! Now!" The three scrambled for the door, having learned long ago not to mess with a woman in authority… it would inevitably lead to a rather painful demise. When the door closed behind the three, Lulu finally came out from behind her hands and gave Bobbie a pathetically grateful look; her wane face compelled Bobbie to her side and gathered the sweet angel in her arms. "Are you all right?"

"I thought I was going to lose my mind," Lulu admitted with a watery laugh before letting out deep, heart-felt breath of relief.

"I can have them barred, you know," Bobbie offered with a smile that was pure love.

"Who are you having barred?" Carly asked as she came in through the door, her dress of turquoise and black diamond design flowing behind her. As always, she looked elegantly out of place in the sterile environment. "And why are those three boys running in a hospital like someone lit a fire under them?" glancing over her shoulders curiously. She smiled when she saw her cousin, glad that she was sitting up then noticed that Bobbie and Lulu were alone. "Why isn't there a guard at this door?" she demanded looking about. "Where the hell is Milo going?" her anger erupted unexpectedly with a firecracker going off as she just realized that he had been one of the three fleeing the scene.

"Away," Bobbie explained getting up to greet her daughter. "He and those others were making Lulu batty."

Carly hugged her mother than offered Lulu a sympathetic smile. "Are they still fighting over you?"

"How do you make them stop?" Lulu asked pleadingly. "I'm not sure how much more of it I can take."

Amused, Carly sat at the foot of the bed and placed her purse down. "You could just sic your brothers on them. I'm sure a cop and a prince can find some imaginative way of scaring off your suitors."

Lulu giggled at that. She could well imagine what her brothers might do. "They have enough problems right now without me adding to it," she replied with a sigh.

"Right, because you in the hospital isn't an issue at all," Carly said dryly.

Bobbie shook her head at them. "How are you doing, honey?"

"I'm fine," Carly replied with a nod, "Nothing but the usual to complain about, so for once I'm not going to," she made a face and gave a sigh before smiling at Lulu. "And how are you?"

It was the smile that did it. There was something a little off about that smile; it wasn't the kind of smile that Carly usually greeted the two most important women in her life. "What are you up to?" Bobbie asked just as Lulu replied with, "What do you want?"

Feigning hurt, Carly stared at them. They returned the look with one that obviously said they were unconvinced; so Carly dropped the act. It was hard to lie to a Spencer. Taking Lulu's free hand, "I want you to move in with me for a while."

Surprise didn't even begin to cover it. "What?"

Bobbie stared. "Carly!"

"It's logical," Carly replied in that same tone of voice that usually preceded some illogical and often crazy plan of hers. "Jason said that you need protection; at least until we know what the hell is going on," she added quickly to forestall any protests. "The Quartermaine mansion isn't equipped with the right kind of safe guards and that new security will have to be installed before it's safe for you there. I can't see Edward allowing Jason to hotwire the Quartermaine's security systems without starting World War III, do you?" she looked at them rather smugly until Bobbie and Lulu both reluctantly conceded the point. "My place, on the other hand, was designed to be a fortress; Sonny and Jason made sure of it before Michael, Morgan and I moved in. Adding security there wouldn't be a problem considering the number of watchdogs I already have," the last said with a twinge of sourness. "Logically, you moving in with me for the time being would be the perfect solution!"

Lulu's brows furrowed for a moment, considering this. "But won't that put you and boys in danger if - and that's a big _if_ - they really are after me?" She didn't like that thought at all.

Sighing, Bobbie shook her head. "I don't like this. Maybe it would be better to send Lulu out of town."

"Can't do _that_ without adequate protection," Carly pointed out, "And right now, I don't see Sonny or Jason being able to spare enough people they trust 110 to protect Lulu without compromising themselves in the process."

Bobbie frowned, her mind already going back to her daughter's idea. "I still don't like this."

"Me too," Lulu replied with a quick shake of her head. "I'd rather die then put Morgan and Michael…"

"Hey," Carly's hand tightened on Lulu's. "Don't even say it," she admonished sternly. "We are _not_ going to let anything happen to you," she looked to her mother for support.

"She's right," Bobbie agreed hugging her niece with one arm and taking her daughter's hand with the other, "We Spencers girls are made of much sterner stuff."

Laughing suddenly, Lulu got a nice warm feeling inside. "Spencer girls, huh?"

Bobbie hugged her. "Yes," she looked at Carly with regretful eyes. "It's taken us some time and a lot of heartaches but blood is thicker than water and we have to stick together."

"Amen to that," Carly said with a smile. "So… what do you say, little cuz? Join me? We'll make it 'girls night' every night."

It was hard to resist Carly when she turned on that charm with those baby blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Lulu smiled despite of herself. "Well… I don't know. I mean, yeah it all sounds very logical and practical for me to move in but the kind of security you'd have to put up with…"

"Oh please," waving that thought away. "I've been the wife of – dear god – not one but two crime lords," she grinned at Bobbie, "Yes, I can admit to myself and you that Sonny and Lorenzo are crime lords, I didn't delude myself into thinking they are anything else; eyes wide open. Getting use to having bodyguards and 27/7 watches really isn't as hard as you think. Besides, Michael and Morgan are use to it by now."

"But the danger…." Lulu argued half –heartedly.

"Is going to be there whether you are staying with us or not," Carly concluded much too reasonably. "Michael and Morgan are and will probably be targets for the rest of their lives. The boys are well taken care of… and they're much smaller targets than you."

Bobbie looked horrified, "Carly!"

"Nothing but truth there, mama," Carly said, her hands up in a defensive manner. Bobbie returned that with a sour look. "Come on," tugging at their arms, "You know that I'm right about this."

Because there wasn't much else either one could come up with, Lulu nodded her head slowly. "All right, I guess it wouldn't be so bad to move in with you for a couple of days… but only until this thing is resolved, okay?"

"Absolutely," Carly replied, nodding her head solemnly in agreement.

"And," Lulu added, "I don't expect to be kept behind closed doors all the time. I won't be a prisoner because of this."

"Of course," Carly answered, knowing exactly how it was to actually be a prisoner. "You'll have free rein of the house but there will be a shadow on you when you go out though; that's not negotiable."

Making a face, "Fine, but it has to be a shadow not an outright armed guard standing two feet from me; I really don't need that kind of publicity."

Carly made a face and nodded. "Any preferences to your shadow?"

"As long as it's not Milo, I don't care," Lulu replied glancing at Bobbie. "He's one of the three you kicked out earlier."

"The big one?" Bobbie asked with a smile.

"Yeah, that's him," Lulu answered.

"Milo would take _extra_ good care of you," Carly pointed out; in fact, she'd bet Lulu's life that Milo would happily walk in front of a firing squad for Lulu. The absolute and total adoration Milo had for Lulu was endearingly sweet. And while she may not personally think that Milo could be the right guy to steal her feisty cousin's heart, she was certain that Milo was more than capable of protecting her.

"That's the problem," Lulu sighed and reached for her juice again. "Love sucks."

"It does not," Carly replied with a grin.

"That's because you're happy right now," Lulu grumbled rather resentfully.

Carly rolled her eyes. "Okay, we'll discuss over ice cream once you're moved in. In the mean time, I've got to get the guest room ready… you do like tulips, right?"

"What does that matter?"

"It's just a question," and with a shrug and weft of perfume, Carly got up and headed for the door. "I'll come by later and pick you up? When are they releasing you?"

"Dr. Drake wants to do another MRI," Lulu answered with a resigned and pained sigh. "Apparently, he's the cautious type."

"Really?" Carly looked a little disbelievingly at her mother; Bobbie merely shrugged. "Won't have thought it. Okay then, call me when you're ready to be picked up and I'll be here with bells on to welcome you home."

"It's temporary," Lulu called after her but Carly merely waved her fingers over her shoulders and sailed out the door. "I hate it when she does that."

Bobbie laughed, delighted with the girls in general. "Yes, but that's why she's who she is. And Lulu, please be careful. I would hate to think of anything happening to you."

"Don't worry," though she had doubts herself, "I'll be fine," and hoped she didn't just make a liar out of herself.

-&-&-&-

Lorenzo sat down in his armchair, the heavy dark leather wing-back chair that Carly had deemed "appropriate" for his study. He ignored the small spark of pleasure he usually got when seated in perfect comfort and concentrated instead on the short messages from his informants. From all reports, it would appear as if Lulu Spencer and Jason Morgan were caught in a drive-by that mere probably meant for Morgan. And while all suspicion fell upon him, Lorenzo had no part in this ambush. He prefer the more subtle touch to get at his enemies. Only the impatience of the wealthy and arrogance of youth would do something as gauche as a drive-by shooting on the streets. It was a stupid move, one full of danger and unpredictability; and the results were often less than pleasing.

The ballistics report copied from the PCPD crime lab, gift from a nervous debtor, revealed a great deal more than most would have thought. They were semi-automatic shell casing found on most illegal weapons. What was curious about these were they were no indistinguishing marks on the casings to trace them back to any particular maker… smooth edges with hollow tips painted in green.

There wasn't a lab in all of United States that would be able to trace this to any manufacturer in the world. But Lorenzo recognized it; he should – after all, he made it.

This stank of treachery. If his covert operatives in the South Americas have grown restless and impatient with the lack of progress in moving products through Port Charles, thing could certainly becomes quite ugly. The delays weren't unforeseen. The Corinthos Organization controlled the waterfront and Sonny Corinthos was notorious for not allowing the "bad elements" to stray into his territory. But the recent tightening of security and crack downs on the shipment fronts have been detrimental to Lorenzo's associates. It would stand to reason that they would want to eliminate the problem.

But Port Charles is his home; he control this area of their operations. And someone just stepped over the boundary.

Grunting his discontent with the world in general, he picked up his phone. "Morales, we need to meet… now."

-&-&-&-

Jason was coming around the corner, having handled Lulu's medical bills with accounting in what was fast becoming a routine, when he spotted Lucky making his way down the hall toward him. There was a moment's narrowing in the police officer's eyes but he seem to square his shoulder and continued forward. They were almost abreast each other when Lucky addressed him.

"Stay away from my sister," Lucky said in no uncertain terms.

Regarding him with careful, steady eyes, Jason said nothing.

"I mean it," Lucky said a little more tightly. "I don't want you anywhere near my sister."

"I know," Jason answered with his usual emotionless tone. He understood better than any what Lucky must be facing. Beloved sister in danger just being in the presence of someone like him – sounds so painfully familiar. Funny how he's never realized how much they had in common with Spencer.

Lucky gritted his teeth and wished, not for the first time in the recent weeks, that he wasn't wearing a badge. There was a great deal he would have given to punch Morgan in the face right now for everything that's happened. But he promised himself that he was going to handle this with the kind of maturity and deference to his family that he didn't show when the addiction for the better of him. He was not going to lose his temper; _he won't_. "I'm watching you."

Nodding his head, Jason continued on without once looking Lucky in the eye.

Taking a breath, Lucky forced himself to calm down and unclench his fist. He gave himself another minute to pull it together before heading toward his sister's room. The last thing Lulu needed right now was to bear the blunt of his anger as she had last summer when she desperately needed him the most. The memory of it still made him a cling with painful shame and guilt-ridden regret, calming him faster than anything else in the world. He wasn't going to be that man anymore, Lulu deserved so much better from him.

Opening the patient's room door, Lucky felt his throat close for a moment as the sight of his sister. Lulu sat by the window, her blue eyes watching the clear sky beyond the glass, expressionless and still. In that moment, she looked so much like their catatonic mother that Lucky almost felt his world collapse. But then she turned her head, something his mother never does, and smiled that generously giving smile at him.

Going to her side, Lucky enclosed his sister in his arms, careful of her wounds, and held on for dear life. "Don't you ever scare us like that again."

"Wasn't exactly a walk in the park for me either," Lulu laughed, glad for his presence. She was worried about him, more than she wanted to say. Pulling back, she studied him for a moment. The shadows under his eyes aged him but it was the strange dullness about him that really worried her. "How are you holding up?"

Lucky smiled at her, stabbing guilt lancing its way to his soul. Here she was, sitting there with two bullet holes through her, and all she was concerned about was him. He had been aptly named. "I'd be a lot better if my kid sister didn't get herself caught in the middle of a gang war."

"I didn't do it on purpose you know, honest," holding her fingers up in the scout's pledge sign… or at least she thought it was.

"Listen, I know my place above Jake's is a little crap…"

"Hold it," Lulu tried to stop him. But like herself, Lucky inherited a good dose of Luke Spencer's stubborn trait, he rolled right over her.

"But I'd like you to move in with me for a while so I can keep an eye on you."

She gave him a look of extreme annoyance. "Keep an eye on me?"

"To protect you," he amended. "I don't like knowing that someone took a shot at you. And I don't trust the Quartermaines to have your best interest at heart."

Lulu rolled her eyes. "You aren't the only one."

"See," Lucky pointed out, "You've thought about it too."

"Actually," Lulu began to say but quickly changed her mind. To mention that Jason and Lucky had the same idea was probably not the smartest thing to do. "Carly has offered me a place to stay for a while."

Lucky blinked, not sure he had heard correctly. "Carly?"

"Yeah," Lulu nodded.

Frowning, Lucky gave himself a moment. "When did you and Carly get so close?"

Uncertain where this was going, "Last summer," she answered honestly.

_"Last summer,"_ Lucky thought to himself with a kind of bitter pain. Everything kept coming back to the events of last summer: his addictions, Liz's affair, Maxie's lies, Lulu's pains… the list just keeps growing. Everywhere he went, what happened last summer kept coming back to haunt him, dragging him back into the dark whirlpool of pain that came with a cracking pain of a bullet and the lifetime-to-come struggles. _"And who's fault is that?"_

"Lucky?" Lulu waved her hand cross her brother's vision, concerned for whatever was causing that frown upon his brow. "Are you all right?"

More determine than ever to put things to right, Lucky looked at his sister and forced himself to smile. "You and Carly have grown real close, huh?"

Hesitating and carefully considering her answer, Lulu watched for any adverse reaction. "Carly really helped me this summer; I think she was the only one that wasn't telling me what to do. She just said to listen to my heart: it'll tell me what was right for me. And then she went toe-to-toe with Edward and all the other Quartermaines for me…" she smiled, remembering some of the more infamous verbal duels, "Though I think she secretly got a kick out of that."

Lucky laughed as he was meant to but it sounded hollow even in his ears. "I should have been there for you. I should have been the one to go to bat for you with the Quartermaines or just hold your hand."

Lulu shook her head at him, the smile still lingering on her face. "Water under the bridge," she said philosophically. "You're here now and that's what counts."

"You're a lot more forgiving than I am, little sister," and kissed her forehead with affection. "And I'm glad that Carly was there for you when you needed someone." God only knew that he wasn't up to the task.

"She's been really great," Lulu said softly, seeing the hurt in Lucky's eye and knowing that there really wasn't anything she could do about it. She understood that Lucky went through a trauma and that he felt guilt for not having been there but she couldn't easily dismiss Carly's good intentions. "And it's probably easier for her to offer me a place. She's got all the latest securities and the best trained guards 24/7. I would hate to be underfoot at your place and have you working around my schedule or me working around your schedule; it's not fair to either one of us. And before you suggest Nikolas' dark castle, let's not forget the time and effort it would take to properly secure that place and I, for one, would never in a million year think to put Spencer in danger if there is any danger surrounding me. I'm not sure anyone in the family can go through that again. So…" finally taking a breath, "Wyndemere is out; don't argue with me because you know I am right on this." She pleaded silently with him.

Swallowing his hurt pride – though where Lulu was concerned he hadn't the right to any – and disguising his admiration for Lulu's whirlwind argument, Lucky nodded his head in reluctant agreement. "I take it that Jason will be providing extra security for Carly's place?"

"He's her best friend," Lulu said in the way of an explanation.

"I know," Lucky replied without any heat, "And I'm glad that Carly wants to protect you."

"She's family," Lulu said quietly, wanting her brother to understand, "_Our_ family."

"And blood is thicker than water," Lucky quoted from many off handed lectures from their mother. "We protect our own."

Lulu smiled, that full bloom smile that reminded the good people of Port Charles of their beloved Laura. "So does this mean I'm forgiven for getting myself shot?"

"Not a chance."

_To be continued…_

Feedbacks are always welcome.


	4. Choices in Life

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, if I'm not mistaken, is owned by the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. I don't own it, never imagine that I will; I've come to turns with that and so should you. No profit is being made from this little adventure and none shall be in the future. No infringement intended though we all know it's actually happening. I'll stop if you tell me to; no need to sue.

**Summary**: (This is going to be chapter summary from now on since you all should know what the story is about by now.) Jason comes in conflict with Elizabeth while Lucky does his best to make peace within himself, Lorenzo attends a meeting to issue a warning and puts some plans into place.

**Timeline**: Read the timelines snip-bit from the previous chapters… or just read the previous chapters to know what the heck is going on with this one. Makes perfect sense, right?

Okay, let's continue with the story.

**Author's Note**: Everyone has a best friend and someone they trust completely, I'm introducing one for Alcazar in this chapter. I've decided that I'm going to create my own character. Hope you like him. Also, I don't speak Spanish myself so I'm _kind of_ not going to try too hard on that matter and end up insulting all the native speakers out there. See the key below is my way around that problem and I promise not to have too much of it; but this was necessary. Enjoy the story.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." (__Translated from Spanish) _Anyway questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 4 – Choices in Life

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**

Jason stood with his back against the far wall, waiting patiently for Elizabeth to look up. She's been studying the chart in front of her for five minutes now, a tiny frown marring her forehead with concern. He had been standing there for ten minutes waiting for her. Except for one accidental meeting on the docks where she had scurried away quickly with Cameron in tow, Elizabeth had been steadily avoiding him since the true paternity of the baby came to light. Jason wasn't sure how he was suppose to react to Elizabeth's sudden aversion to his company; he suppose it should have been expected but he and Elizabeth have been friends a great deal longer than either one really wanted to acknowledge and he had thought that they could have worked this out.

Carly stopped in the hall, her purse in one hand while the other had been dialing on her cell. She could clearly see Elizabeth and Jason from her vantage point though neither of them have seen her yet. It was just as well, she really didn't have any inclination to speak with Elizabeth or about the mother-to-be. And though Carly was sure Jason was just waiting for her to break her silence on the subject, as well as the matter of Sam leaving town (a little fact she hadn't know until she ran into Max at the Metro Court earlier), she was determined to –even if she had to choke painfully on her opinion – stay out of it. Her finally honed survival instincts told her that no good would come out of a confrontation with Jason over that whole matter. What was done was done and she was going to have to accept it… like everyone else. Besides all that, Carly also felt a tugging pain of being stuck in the middle of all this.

Yes, Jason was her best friend and the one person she can depend on come hell or high waters. And yes, she could definitely – and most likely will – defend him to the bitter, heart wrenching end; but this time, she wasn't going to. She was going to sit back and let him handle this instead of butting in and getting yelled at about butting in where she didn't belong. Yes sir, she was going to sit back and… Oh who was she kidding?!?

Coming up behind him, Carly could see Jason tense at her sudden presence, "Don't do it," she advised with a resigned sigh.

"What?" he answered in that starchy tone of his.

"Whatever it is you're thinking," she said dryly as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. She looked over his shoulder at Nurse Liz and wondered if Jason was having a soft moment; as much as she disliked Elizabeth, the woman was the mother of Jason's child now. It would be considerably difficult for Carly to ignore that little fact. On the other hand, Liz had made it perfectly clear to everyone that A) she didn't like Carly (and the feeling was mutual) and B) she wanted her husband back.

Carly couldn't forget Lucky in all this; on top of everything else, Lucky was family, not the part of family she liked but family nevertheless. And Lucky, for all his months of blistering about loving Elizabeth and wanting to make a family with her, had simply walked out after hearing the truth. There was no yelling, no accusations, no drag-down knock-out fights; he had gotten the truth from the horse's mouth and silently walked away. Carly hadn't been worried about Lucky and Liz (she was too busy fretting over Jason and Sam at the time) until she got the account from Lulu. Lucky's silence had been the trigger. Spencers don't suffer in silence; they _never_ suffer in silence; there was always some kind of outlet to their anger or pain or misery or just about every other emotion in the books. At Lulu's insistence, Carly had someone secretly test the good detective for drugs: he was clean. She hoped for both her cousins' sake that he stays that way.

"She needs protection," Jason said softly, his voice infused with concern. This was but one of the reasons Elizabeth had been concerned over the paternity of her child being revealed. Lucky's job may be dangerous but it didn't put his child in danger the way Jason's did.

Rolling her eyes, Carly rested her chin on Jason's shoulder. "Convincing her of that isn't going to be easy." She sighed and wished she was back in bed again. Some days, it really wasn't worth it to face the day. "I'd offer my house but I just gave my cousin the last spare bed."

Jason nodded. "Thank you."

"What for?" Carly wanted to know. "She's _my_ cousin."

He gave a soft laugh of appreciation. "Not like you to pass up a chance to hold something over someone."

"You're you and I'm me and Lulu's Lulu," Carly said in that naturally illogical ways of hers, "I think that about says it all."

Frowning over his shoulder since that made absolutely no sense in his logical, straight arrowed mind, he was about to ask her to clarified when she stiffen suddenly with concern. Jason turned back to see Lucky had come across Elizabeth and had froze in his tracks.

Lucky's eyes caught Liz's for a second, her soft pleading doe eyes doing god-awful things to his insides, before he jerked his gaze away and saw Jason and Carly across the way. They stared back at him, one stoically and one with a kind of… was that concern he saw in Carly's eyes? _"For who,"_ he wondered for a moment.

Liz's heart gave a lurch when she saw Lucky, his face a mask of cold acceptance that broke her heart. _"And who do you think is responsible?"_ She gave herself a good internal shake, unwilling to accept that this was the end of her and Lucky; after everything they've been through, every battle fought and won, every tear shed, every time their hearts were broken… they've been through too much for her to accept defeat without putting up a fight; the way she remembered Lucky doing not so long ago. _"He fought so hard to save us; how can I do anything less?"_ and open her mouth to speak.

But Lucky looked away. She felt a little piece of her cut to the bone at how sharply he had wrenched his eyes from her. Then she saw something sharpened Lucky's gaze. Turning, she felt her heart drop at the sight of Jason and Carly standing there, a solidarity to her and Lucky's fractured lives. There could not have been a worse time for those two to show up.

With only a moment's hesitation, Carly stepped around Jason and put herself between the two men. She was nothing if not glutton for punishment. "Lucky," she said moving forward with all the assuring steps of a woman on a mission. "A word, cousin?" hoping that familial connection will at least buy her enough time to let Jason leave before there was bloodshed. She was getting very good at the whole distraction thing now.

Recognizing Carly's tactic for what it was, Lucky nodded his head and allowed himself to be guided away. He didn't turn back.

Liz held herself completely still as she watched Lucky's retreating back, hoping to fight off the urge to burst into useless tears once more. She's cried so often lately that she was certain that she's managed to ruin her tear ducts for life.

"Elizabeth," Jason said softly, approaching the nurse's desk.

Because she couldn't deal, Liz grabbed her charts and prepared to do what she's been doing of late: run. "Not now, Jason."

"We have to talk," he insisted sternly, not allow any emotions through the stony façade.

"I can't," she replied and made to leave. The biggest problem with being almost nine months along was that she couldn't move very fast.

"It's about the safety of the baby," knowing that her child will always come first in Elizabeth's mind.

Forcing herself to stop, knowing what's already coming, Elizabeth closed her eyes and resigned herself. "The shooting."

He acknowledge it with a nod. "I've got security on Cameron already and men patrolling your home."

A flash of indignation at having her privacy invaded almost had Liz yelling. Not only has she know lost her husband, her family and now she was about to lose her freedom as well? It was an incomprehensible thought. But reining in her temper, Liz nodded her head in understanding of the strategic move. "I take it that they are not going to interfere with my day-to-day routine?"

"They've been told not to be seen unless necessary,"

The thought of being watched unseen left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Fine."

"Liz," he started, knowing that she was about to walk away. "We have to talk about this," knowing perfectly well that she wasn't going to like what he had to propose.

She turned and looked at him for the first time in weeks. "I get that you want to be part of this child's life. I understand that you are not going to ask for custody. I'll even go so far as to say that I know you'll do what's best for this baby. But right now, your feelings are the least of my concerns and your presence is the biggest of my worries. There was a reason I wanted Lucky to be this baby's father and yesterday you've proved that I had made the right decision. I _saw_ Lulu. That could have been me. And where those bullets went, that could have been my baby."

Jason acknowledge all that without flinching.

"I'll take the security, I'll deal with the guards," she turned away. "But I'm not giving up my life with Lucky. He will be a part of this child's life; you'll have to deal with that."

He stood there and watch her go, knowing very well that she meant every word. Nothing she said had been colored; it had all been true. But he refused to take all this on his own; it took two people to create a child and Liz had shared a secret that was going to come out sooner or later. What was that old saying? Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. If there had been no paternity test… if Liz had told him… if Lulu hadn't found out… if Spinelli hadn't hacked into the… _"Spinelli."_

With a sigh, Jason headed out. There was another loose end he needed to deal with.

-&-&-&-

"Well that wasn't awkward at all," Carly commented as she steered Lucky toward Lulu's room with one hand on his arm.

"You're not one to beat around the bush, are you?" Lucky asked, dryly.

"Nope, not when it comes to family," Carly said with a great big smile that was about as fake as her sincerity. She took a moment to study Lucky for a moment, marveling at how different his man was to his little sister. Carly could easily relate to Lulu in a manner that had nothing to do with the fact that they were both female. Lulu may have inherited Laura Spencer's good looks but Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr. had inherited his mother's personality and fragile state of mind. "I want to talk to you about Lulu."

"What about her?"

"I assume that you've checked in on her," she gave him a look that said that she wasn't going to put up with going thirty rounds with him.

"Yeah," he admitted with a sigh. "Thanks for watching out for her."

Carly shook her head. "Why? Lulu is important to me and I protect the people I care about." She glanced at Lucky out the corner of her eyes, catching something she was pretty certain she wasn't suppose to see.

Lucky took a breath, determined to start anew. "Carly…"

"Yes?" she answered with a great deal more amusement than the situation called for.

"Thank you," he said slowly and firmly, as if convincing her as well as himself that he meant it. "Thank you for being there for Lulu when I was screwing up my life and she… she really needed someone to stand behind her and give no judgment." He could see the assessment in Carly's eyes. "I… I wasn't…" rehashing it wasn't going to change anything. "Thank you, for everything you did for Lulu."

It was painful to admit being wrong, Carly knew that better than anyone else in the world… which was why she didn't often do it. To see Lucky humble himself to thank her, it hit Carly hard. "She's a brave and strong girl with a great deal more of your father in her than she likes to admit. Of course if I had Luke as my dad, I won't either; but that's neither here nor there. I'm extremely fortunate to have her and my mother to show me the way when I get lost," Carly said quietly, not quite acknowledging his thanks but not brushing it away either. "So yeah…"

Nodding his head, Lucky paused outside of Lulu's door. "I don't like knowing that she's in danger."

"None of us do," she replied seriously. "But I'm doing my best to make sure that…"

"I know," Lucky interrupted with a sigh. "I may not like it but I do understand that this is probably the best thing for her right now. God knows that chaos at the Quartermaine's won't exactly help her recovery."

Rolling her eyes, "Been there, done that," she pushed open and door and smiled wide. "Hello little cuz," she greeted Lulu with and dropped her purse on the bed to hug the struggling teen. "Doctors give you an all clear yet?"

Lulu rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I hate Patrick Drake."

Lucky laughed and helped his sister into the wheelchair by the bed. "Now Lulu…"

"The man is worse than Edward and coming from me that's saying something," Lulu continued with a huff. Reaching over she lifted a large white paper bag and rattled it viciously. "Look at all these horse pills! Can you believe him?"

Stifling a laugh, Lucky took the heavy pill bag from her and tucked it into the large backpack by Lulu's bed. "No, I can't believe it but you'll take every one of them like a good little girl and heal up. And don't you be thinking about giving Carly's bodyguards the slip either. I will have you hunted down the police department if I even hear a hint of you…"

"I'll be good, I'll be good," Lulu promised with a roll of her eyes. "Sheesh…"

"Lulu," Lucky said sternly, well as sternly as he could anyways when it comes to his kid sister, "I mean it. I want you to listen to Carly and… what?"

Lulu gave him a funny look. "When did you start agreeing with Carly on anything?"

Carly was giving him the exact same look. "Yeah."

"Since now," Lucky said defensively with a sigh. "Okay, so Carly and I don't agree on much…"

"Actually," Carly interjected, "I don't think you and I agree on _anything_."

"You're not helping," Lucky replied with a frown at her.

"Was I suppose to be trying?" Carly asked innocently.

Lulu stifled a giggle.

Giving a much put upon sigh, Lucky shook his head. Facing his sister, Lucky tried again. "As I was saying, Carly and I may not agree on much but we do agree that we want to make sure you are safe. And if that means that you live with Carly for a while and under the eyes of some rather… unsavory people, then so be it."

"Unsavory," Carly rolled the word off her tongue and considered it for a moment, "Um… now there's a description I haven't heard since high school English Lit."

Slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand, Lulu groaned. "English… damn it, the essay."

Lucky and Carly quickly exchanged looks. "You're evil professor again?" Carly asked with sympathy. She understood hating school.

Instead of responding, Lulu buried her face into her hands and hung her head pathetically tired. "Shoot me please."

"I think that's already been done," Carly quipped with a grin. "How about I talk to the guy for you?"

"How about if I do it?" Lucky said as he handed Lulu's backpack to Carly and wheeled his sister to the elevator. "There's nothing like a badge and a gun to get people to see reason."

Carly would have laughed out loud had she not chosen that moment to take a sip of water. Okay, so maybe junior wasn't so unlike his father after all.

-&-&-&-

Sprawled slightly in his wing backed chair, Lorenzo allowed his hand to rest casually on the top of the his silver tipped cane. (_That was very sloppy.)_

_(It was an opportunity.)_

_(A opportunity is when success can be assured,)_ Lorenzo said darkly, not allowing any emotions to filter through. (_What you did was exceedingly stupid.)_

_(Your plans are moving too slowly,)_ Hector Morales snapped with great impatience practically oozing out of his skin. (_We are not properly equipping our men in the fields. We are...)_

Lorenzo's eyes sharpened with the reflexes of a cobra. (_You are endangering everything we have worked for with this rashness and irrational moves against Corinthos and Morgan. Now that you have alerted them of your intentions, how much easier do you think they will make it to get to them the next time?)_

Morales's teeth grind together audibly as he sat there with impotent fury.

Seeing that his point was made, Lorenzo leaned back into his chair and studied the head of the black op. division of the Venezuela government with a critical eye. Hector Morales made it to the top of his forces through sheer will and a lack of consciousness; it made him a formidable leader and an dangerous enemy. But his lack of foresight has been a problem in the past, as it is now. (_We were moving slow so that there would be no fall out from this, unlike your Argentina expedition,)_ Lorenzo reminded him calmly. (_And right now, you've managed to place my operations under great scrutiny, more so than before by both the Corinthos organization and by the Port Charles authorities. What delays were before will be great deal more 'inconvenient' now that my enemies have heighten their security.)_

_(So what do you plan on doing about it,)_ Morales demanded viciously.

_(Nothing,)_ Lorenzo replied ever so coolly. _(We need to allow this incident to die down before we move more shipments through. Sonny Corinthos is no fool; he must have realized by now that I am moving contrabands through his ports. With this latest hit on his man, he will have sealed the entry ways more making it virtually impossible to move things inland. The next shipment will have to be delayed until we can establish safe entry for them again.)_

Red-faced and infuriated, Morales rose to his feet to tower over Lorenzo. (_That is unacceptable!)_

_(You should have considered that before you made an irrational move against Jason Morgan,)_ Lorenzo replied still as cool as a cucumber though his hand tightened on the silver top of his cane. (_This delay is _your_ doing. Now sit down.)_

Men of Morales's position seldom, if ever, took orders from others from the moment they came into power. Hector Morales have seen governments rise and fall in his lifetime and have long learn to recognize when to assert his authority and when to retreat into the darkness to regroup. Lorenzo Alcazar was one of the few men he knew with the power, money and influences to make life very uncomfortable for Hector, not to mention he was currently in Alcazar's home turf. And as much a it grates him to acknowledge defeat, to _not_ do so now was suicidal at best.

Sitting down with the greatest of care, Hector inclined his head in acknowledgement of Alcazar's upper hand. (_What do you suggest?)_

_(Lay low,)_ Lorenzo said, easing the grip on his cane just enough to be comfortable but not enough to let it show. (_I'll handle the shipments issues and Corinthos's lack of foresight. You shall have your weapons within a few weeks if we handle this carefully. I'll send word to you once I things are a little more settled here.)_

With no other recourse, Morales nodded and stood again to leave this time.

_(One more thing,)_ Lorenzo said standing as well to look General Morales in the eye carefully. (_Do not think for a moment I don't know about the men you've been stationing here since we have been in communication. I will no accept anymore interference in my operations here. Withdrawal them now.)_

Hector paused for a moment before nodding. (_They shall leave with me tonight.)_

_(See that they do,)_ was the only answer given and the general was unceremoniously dismissed as Alcazar picked up his phone to continue his business. Waiting a heart beat after he head the doors closed, Lorenzo dialed a private inner office line. "Enrico, see me in my office please," and hung up without another thought.

Two minutes later, Enrico Rodriguez entered silently. He was a man of medium height with dark skin and darker eyes. Enrico watched the world with a silent amusement that revealed itself in his continuously upturned mouth, an inheritance he received from his dearly departed mother. There was no one more loyal in Lorenzo's camp than Enrico. He was to Lorenzo as Jason was to Sonny.

"Thank you for coming to Port Charles so quickly," Lorenzo greeted him with and poured a drink.

"You called, mi amigo," Enrico answered with a shrug of indifference and took the drink and the indicated seat. "Cuál es el problema?

"Inglés, Enrico," Lorenzo admonished with a smile. "How do you ever hope to improve your English if you insist on falling back to Spanish?"

"Habit," Enrico leaned back comfortably. "Now, why have you summoned me?"

"Morales."

"The man is a pig," was the replied given in no uncertain term, "And he has grown too big for his pants."

"He's a lucrative business associate," Lorenzo pointed out with a sigh.

"More trouble than he is worth," Enrico responded logically and with the unfailing honesty of someone that's known Lorenzo for more years that either one could remember. "But we do have a 'contract' with the man." He was, if nothing else, a businessman at heart.

"Yes, we do," sitting, Lorenzo regarded his friend with steady eyes. "I need you to put some men on Carly."

That surprised Enrico some, "Corinthos's ex-wife?"

"_My_ ex-wife," Lorenzo corrected firmly in a tone that wasn't to be crossed. "Just watch her, don't interfere with whatever security is already in place."

"If that is your wish," Enrico shrugged but his tone was more than telling of his thoughts.

Lorenzo ignored him. "Double the men on Lila Rae and Skye as well."

"Of course."

"One more thing," Lorenzo frowned as he considered this a moment. "Put two men on Lulu Spencer. If Morales's people move against any of them, take them out any which way you can."

Enrico held his peace for a moment but decided that their friendship was enough to allow him some leave, "You are too concerned for your former wife and this Spencer girl-child. Morales may see this as a weakness."

Acknowledging the piece of opinion for what it was, "It is necessary," Lorenzo closed himself off from that conversation. He wasn't ready to share with Enrico his lingering doubts where Carly was concerned; he made his choices in life and will deal with them as they appear. And Lulu… he owed his son something and protecting his friend was a small step toward it. Plus there was the matter of Skye and his promise to her. With a sigh, Lorenzo shook his head and acknowledged that his life has not been as he expected since coming to Port Charles. What more would the days to come bring?

_To be continue…_


	5. Inquiries

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, if I'm not mistaken, is owned by the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. I don't own it, never imagine that I will; I've come to turns with that and so should you. No profit is being made from this little adventure and none shall be in the future. No infringement intended though we all know it's actually happening. I'll stop if you tell me to; no need to sue.

**Summary**: Lucky learns to listen, Luke issues a warning, Lulu gets two unexpected but timely visitors and Lorenzo gets news.

**Timeline**: Read the timelines snip-bit from the previous chapters… or just read the previous chapters to know what the heck is going on with this one. Makes perfect sense, right?

Okay, let's continue with the story.

**Author's Note**: I'm having a grand ole time writing this right now, mostly because I've been a little annoyed with the way the show is going. I do however enjoy the addition of Cooper and Logan; they bring in a little more mature dynamic to the "teen" scene. (Really sick of teenager stories; so glad they finally aged beyond that.) I like the Cooper character, though hate that they've decided to stick him with Maxie (who still irritates me no matter what they try to do to the character; love the actress though) and make him out as this kind of poor sucker character. Logan I'm a little more ambiguous about. I think I'd like him more if they tone down his attitude just a bit and show his softer side more.

Oh, and in my story, Jax and Carly aren't married yet and Sonny has graciously granted Carly a divorce when she asked for one this time knowing that she's going to fight dirty for it. I, for one, would like to think that after three marriages with Carly, Sonny would have learned _something_ from it. So… Carly is single!!! (I think I like her better that way… for now.)

And guys, I really don't know who the couples are going to be other than a Lucky/Liz pairing. I usually let my stories run themselves dry… it makes it so much more interesting for me. I know what I like to see… and I'm going to let you all guess what that is.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

**

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Chapter 5 – Inquiries

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**

Lulu gave a totally unladylike grunt as she finally maneuver herself onto the sunshine yellow bed. Every single part of her hurt like nobody's business at the moment and all she wanted to do was curl up into a little tiny ball and die. The half hour ride from the hospital to Carly's house had to be the longest ride of her life, and that included the god awful trip to Spinelli's grandmother's house with Jason; though in retrospect it hadn't been _that_ bad. But with two bullet holes and her system pumped full medical cocktails with very little painkillers mixed in, Lulu had felt every bump and dip in the road.

"You doing okay there?" Lucky asked as he came into the room and dumped the suitcase of clothes in the closet. Looking around, he frowned. "Won't have thought Carly would go for the bright and sunny look."

Turning her head, Lulu found the energy to smile up at the vase full of bright yellow daisies, her mother's favorites, mixed liberally with pale golden tulips, her favorites. Carly always did have a knack for settling up things for just the right occasion and with all the right touches to bring a smile to her face. "I like it. Beats the stupid pink room Edward put me in at the Quartermaine's."

"I've always thought of you as a sunshine kind of gal," Carly said as she entered with a tray of cookies and milk. "Don't worry, I didn't make these so they're safe to eat."

"Oh good," Lucky interjected with a grin as he snatched a cookie off the passing tray. "I assume you've read all the stuff on what Lulu can and cannot eat?"

"Oh course not," Carly said setting the tray down at the foot of the bed and studied Lulu's prone form carefully for a minute. "I gave it to the housekeeper so _she_ would know what to make." She sat down by Lulu and arranged the comforters out of the way. "You want something for the pain?"

"No," Lulu murmured into the pillow and turned slowly as Carly helped her into the bed. "I want to just die."

"Well you can't do that on my watch," Carly informed her very matter-of-fact-ly and smiled when Lulu was arranged in the bed to her satisfaction. "It would totally ruin my reputation are a caregiver, not to mention create a rather unfriendly environment between your father and me."

"And we can't have that now, can we?" Lulu murmured with a roll of her eyes as Carly set the tray down across her lap. She picked up a cookie, "Ooo… they're still warm."

"Well, duh?" Carly said picking up Lulu's luggage and opening it on the cedar truck at the foot of the bed. Pulling out clothes, she studied each piece carefully before putting it away. "Sit down Lucky, you're hovering."

Deciding that it was probably healthier if he did was he was told – and considering both Carly and Lulu were regarding him with the same raised-brow expected look, it was definitely a good idea – Lucky sat himself in the white wicker chair by the window and watched the interaction between Lulu and Carly for the first time. As the two chatter about inane stuff, mostly clothes and boys, Lucky felt himself sudden relaxing after having held himself so stiffly together for so long. A little part of him was sadden that this wasn't his mother and sister together, doing the things that mothers and daughters do; but a bigger part of him was so grateful that Lulu had someone to talk to, to turn to and be with and get advise from. Carly, despite everything else that can be said about her, loved with the kind of unwavering loyalty that was hard to come by. And Lulu was so comfortable with her that Lucky could only be happy that Carly was a kind of strange substitute for the mother Lulu lacked.

"So, I was totally like, 'Jax, you weren't here; you have no idea what we went through,'" Carly folded Lulu's pale blue pajamas carefully and decided the girl needed something else besides traditional sleepwear (after all, every girl should feel like a fairy princess in bed) and mentally outlined a shopping trip for the near future.

"How could he when he didn't go through it with us," Lulu agreed vigorously through a mouth full of cookies. "I mean, it's like me trying to explain to Dillon what it was like to have someone hold this big fat gun to my head."

Lucky winced at that mental image.

"Oops," Lulu gave him a faintly apologetic look.

Lucky waved that away and gave her a tired look. There were still days when his mind went to those heart stopping moments as Lulu stood in the doorway of the Metro Court, the large 9mm handgun to her temple, her face streaked with tears as their father attempt to bargain for her life with a madman. Either he nor Luke would ever be able to forget that moment for as long as they lived.

"I'm sorry I bought it up," Lulu said quietly as she watched her brother age ten years in ten seconds. The hostage crisis at the Metro Court had been the beginning of the end… of everything in Lucky's life. She hadn't meant to drudge up those bad memories. Her stupid impetuous nature always managed to get her in trouble.

"Don't," Lucky said dragging the chair closer to his sister, ignoring the frown from Carly for what it was doing to her nice plush carpet. "I'm… I'm learning to accept things. And for the record, it's the memory of you being in that horrible place that usually gives me nightmares."

"But not me?" Carly interjected with a grin, knowing the reaction she would get with the question. "No concern for you dearest cousin?"

Slanting her a look, Lucky smiled back at her, knowing her game now. Carly defused tension and stress for Lulu by making self disparaging remarks to yank Lulu's attention away. "I never worry about, Carly. Anyone that can survive marriage to both Sonny Corinthos _and_ Lorenzo Alcazar isn't someone that wilts easily. Plus there's that whole Spencer thing…" he waved the rest of that sentence off with a grin.

Carly rolled her eyes. "Like I'm going to argue with that."

Lulu giggled and shoved another cookie into her mouth. "So… what next?"

"Next," Lucky said getting serious now, "I need to take a statement. What do you remember about the shooting?"

Making a face and letting Carly take the tray away, Lulu sighed and leaned back into the pile of pillows that Carly had heaped on the bed. "Not much. There was screeching tires and a black car. I was thrown on the ground pretty fast after the shooting started, then I hit my head and," she shrugged, wincing when the movement pulled at the staples in her side, "Then nothing."

"What was Jason doing during this time?" Lucky asked, his voice neutral as he said his rival's name.

Peeking at him to gage his reaction and finding none, Lulu nodded her head at Carly. Apparently, Lucky was definitely in cop form now. "He was just standing at the corner when the car showed up. I remember him running toward me when the shots were fired. I'm pretty sure he tackled me but I can't really remember it very well." She instinctively reached out to Lucky, knowing that Jason saving her couldn't have been easy for him to hear.

Lucky's hand closed over his sister's for a moment and gave her a smile. "I'm glad he saved you. I'm glad he saved Liz and the baby. I may not like the guy but I am grateful that he values your life." He turned and looked at Carly, knowing very well the relationship between the two. "I mean it."

Nodding her head, Carly accepted it without doubt. "I know you do. And _I'm_ grateful that no one was killed." She came over and sat down on the bed, taking one of Lulu's hands into her own with profound relief. Looking at Lucky again, "So? Do the police have any suspects?"

Rolling his eyes, "Only everyone in the half dozen rival organizations your thrice-wed husband does business with, including your most recent ex-husband."

"Lorenzo didn't do it," she stated very simply.

Luke Spencer's kids stared at her. "And you know this _how_?"

"Because I asked him," Carly replied matter-of-factly.

Taking a breath and holding onto his patience, because he's vowed to do just that, he nodded his head and asked, "And he wouldn't lie to you because…" prompting her with a circular motion of his hand.

"Because he wouldn't," she answered looking him straight in the eye. "And because he made a deal with Skye regarding Lulu," she didn't want to go into too much details there. Family he may be but Lucky was still a cop and right now the cop was asking the questions. "Let's just say that Lorenzo isn't going to put your sister in the middle his business dealings and let's leave it at that, okay?"

Closing his eyes, Lucky didn't want to go through all the possibilities as to why Lorenzo Alcazar, a man with ties into way too much on an international level, would have anything to do with his baby sister. "Do I even want to know?"

"No," Lulu answered defiantly, "And before you jump to any conclusions – I didn't do anything wrong."

Carly nodded her head in agreement. "Wrong place, wrong time," she said cryptically.

"Right," Lulu nodded her head then rolled her eyes.

Lucky closed his eyes again, crazy thoughts rolling around in his mind for a moment, then gave up. "Would it be to the benefit of all if I didn't know about it?"

"Yes," Lulu and Carly answered at the same time.

"Okay then," he concluded with resignation. "Tell me about the car."

For the next hour, Lucky meticulously went through every detail he could get from his sister's slightly fractured memories of the event. He never raised his voice, never lost his patience, never gave up until he was certain he had wrung her dry. Lulu, on the hand, lost her temper no less then a dozen times, wanted to tear her hair out every time she hit a wall and at one point was shouting loud enough to summon Carly back into the room. It was the first time either girls have really seen Lucky at work. It was, to say the least, quite impressive.

"Are we done yet?" Lulu groaned, one hand pressed to her side.

Lucky looked up from his notes, a little frown marring his brows as he watched Lulu try to get comfortable again. She had been fidgeting for the last twenty minutes, unable to find a comfortable position to rest on. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah," she waved the concern away and took another deep breath silently to ease the ache in her back.

"No you're not," Carly pronounced and pour water in a glass for her before shaking out some pills from the array of orange plastic bottles on the vanity. "And this interview is at an end. Lulu: take these and go to sleep. Lucky: go home."

Closing his notebook, Lucky got up and kissed his sister on the forehead gently. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

"You're doing your job," Lulu replied and made at face at the fist full of pills Carly dumped into her hand. "Blah…" then swallowed it all in one big gulp.

Carly pulled a pain face and watched Lulu suck water like a landed fish. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yeah," Lulu grumbled and tucked herself into the bed with a sigh. "Nite, nite," she told them then shut her eyes. She was out within five seconds flat.

Lucky stared a little, not quite believing that his usually restless sister was now unconscious without so much as fussing. Lulu use to fight tooth and nail at bedtime as a child, often bargaining for ten more minutes. "I didn't realize she was so exhausted. God," running a quick hand through his already mussed hair. "I shouldn't have pushed her like that."

"Forget it," Carly said, dragging him out of the room to give Lulu peace. "She knew that you needed to get this done while her memory is still fresh. Contrary to popular belief, Spencers don't buck the system simply because they can," she gave him a pointed look, "Except for maybe your father but that's another story all together."

Smiling with appreciation for that, Lucky stopped at the door. "Listen, if anything happens… if you think even for a second that…"

Carly reached out and stopped Lucky with a hand to his arm. "I'll call the cops at the first sign of trouble," she assured him with a silent promise to protect his baby sister, "But I've got to tell you, a damn ninja couldn't get through the amount of security around this place." Poking her head out, she looked at all the darkly dressed figures that surrounded the house with a sigh. "It's like living in a very pretty prison sometimes." Shrugging it off, "But I've made my bed, I'll lie in it."

Looking at his cousin carefully, Lucky was forced to admit that Carly was a great deal more like their family that he really wanted to see. Everything about her screamed "Survivor," just like every other member of their clan. He had to admire her for her sheer force of will when it came to living life _her_ way. He smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Carly."

"Of course," she answered carelessly and shut the door without thought.

-&-&-&-

Luke sat silently on the tombstone with blatant disregard for the dead. He'd been waiting half an hour now and he'll wait another half hour before he gave up. But Luke knew people and he knew their patterns; and this particular person and their pattern you can bet the bank on. It was another five minutes before the black car rolled up to the fenced in graveyard, its darkly tinted window shielding and blocking at the same time. Letting out a satisfied breath, Luke smirked and watched the passenger exit the car with a quick shake of their head to the driver.

Skye Chandler Quartermaine lifted the fragrant red roses to her nose before setting it down on her father's grave. Her heart tightened in her chest as she lovingly traced the engraving on the marble: Loving Son, Husband and Father. Tears gathered in her eyes as it did every time she came to Alan's grave, unable to forgive herself for what had happened despite her verbal protests to the rest of the Quartermaine family. Her weekly tribute to the man that treated her like a daughter rather than a nuisance in their lives could not even begin to make up for the what she had allowed to happen. Alan deserved so much better from her. So much better…

"Well, well, well… if it isn't the grieving daughter." Luke's voice was dry as bone and tinged with a bitterness that said a great deal of his inability to completely forgive Sky for the nightmare she had brought upon his little girl.

Turning her head, Skye accepted the accusation from the only man in the world that was allowed it. "Lying in wait, Luke?" her eyes watching the man for a moment, noting the exhaustion on his usually satiric face. The chipped cold eyes made her pause; Luke Spenser had never looked at her with those eyes before, not even at the height of the hostage crisis at the Metro Court knowing her part in it. "What happened?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"When did you turn so cold, Skye?" he asked, deciding that the best strategy was an attack without explanation of any kind.

Something painful lanced through Skye. "What are you talking about?"

"I get," Luke continued as she hadn't spoke, "That you wanted to protect your kid's father; I even understood it as business. I was okay with all that as long as no one got hurt. Heck, I even let the whole thing at the Metro Court go because I figured, Alan's death was punishment enough for you." She didn't think it was possible but Luke's blue eyes turned even more glacial than before. "But when you decide it would be okay to let an innocent kid be collateral damage to…"

She didn't think anything could have come close to Alan's death but Luke's words cut her down like a hot knife on butter. "What are you talking about?!?"

The quick look of panic in her eyes couldn't be missed; Skye wasn't a consummated liar and she wasn't nearly as cold as she managed to convince the world she was. Luke knew better. Luke knew Skye. "Someone shot Lulu twice in a drive-by outside of Morgan's place."

Her heart stopped; it literally stopped.

"She's fine," he said quietly, "But it was close." It was the stricken look in her eyes that did it. With a sigh, more relief than he thought there would be (had he really believe her capable of putting Lulu in danger?), Luke shook his head his former girl Friday. "Carly says that your boyfriend isn't behind it."

"He's not," Skye said emphatically, ignoring the Carly issue for the moment. "Lorenzo would never put Lulu in the middle of this."

"Really?" Luke asked rather bitterly.

"YES!" Skye assured him, needing to believe it in herself. Though she mentally knew what Lorenzo did for a living – knew it to an evil in life – she couldn't bring herself to understand the bad things… the things that would give her nightmares at night if she thought of them too much.

Luke's eyes darkened dangerously. "Well someone in your business did."

Skye opened her mouth to deny that it was "her" business; but she couldn't. She was acting on Lorenzo's behalf and in so deep that she knew that there was simply no getting out even if Lorenzo were to become better and were able to resume his business on his own. Despite her precaution and her insistence that she and Lila Rae not ever be part of Lorenzo's dark side, Skye was too entrenched in the mob now to ever be able to completely break free. Gathering herself together, she gave herself a mental shake and looked Luke in the eye. "What can I do?" There was long pause, a tense thickness that had Skye wondering if Luke was thinking whether or not to trust her. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't. Lorenzo's business had put Lulu's life in danger one too many times now. And Skye could never forgive him or herself if something were to happen to that child. "How can I help?"

Giving her look of pure exasperation, "Find the bad guys," Luke told her as if instructing a very slow child. "Get me the guys that hurt my baby girl," there was unrelentingly cold in his eyes as he said it. "And if I find out that your mobster boyfriend is behind it, I'm coming after him."

Squaring her shoulder, Skye nodded her head firmly, "If I find out that Lorenzo put Lulu in the line of fire, I'll let you in the front door myself."

-&-&-&-

Logan and Coop met at the front door, both friends eyeing the other with obvious suspicion. There was long moment before they both asked simultaneously, "What are you doing here?"

A sudden amused smirk appeared on Logan's sardonic face. "I was asked to be here. What's your excuse?"

Holding up a piece of paper folded in thirds, Cooper made a resigned face. "I was ordered to be here."

They both paused for a moment before they both knocked on the door, trading rather uncomfortably disgusted looks that they've managed to do that twin thing twice now. Another tense silence filtered the air as they waited, one patiently and one not so patiently, for the door to be answered. When another minute passed by and no one came to the door, Logan reached out and pounded firmly on the door.

It was yanked open a moment later by a very irritated and hurried Carly. "If you've managed to wake Lulu, I'm going to…." But the rest of the threat with lost by a sudden gut wrenching scream from upstairs.

Carly turned go to her cousin but was physically pulled aside by Logan and Coop, who took the stairs two at a time, side arms pulled at the already without blinking an eye. Like the unit they had once been, the two men took up position by the door, silent hand signals communicating instinctively between the two. With a quick nod of understanding, Logan burst through the door first going low while Coop swung around the edge of the frame going high; two guns swept the bright sunny room for targets that they didn't fine. The only thing they found was an empty bed.

Logan moved into the room slowly, trusting Coop to cover him if anything should pop out unexpectedly. He went to the bathroom, toward the right side of the room, sweeping in only enough to see, "Clear."

Coop waited until Logan turned back to the room to cover it before going toward the closet, his hand left hand yanking the door open fast. "Clear."

Only slightly lowering their guards, they both began to silently looked around until Logan found saw Lulu on the ground on the other side of the bed facing away from the door. She was curled in upon herself in a fetal position. "Shit," was the only thing he said before he got to his knees by her side, checking her for wounds.

"There's blood on the sheets," Coop announced tucking his gun away as he skirted the bed to help Logan ease the obviously bleeding Lulu onto the mattress with care. Pushing her pajama top up, Coop's brows wrinkled together at the mess of blood and gauze at her side. It took only a moment to put the pieces together. "She's torn her stitches."

"Got a first aid kit?" Logan asked Carly as he folded a section of the bed sheets and pressed it firmly against Lulu's wounds. There was blood literally everywhere now.

"Of course," Carly answered with one pained look at Lulu before quickly leaving to get it from the kid's bathroom.

Lulu let out a cry of pain again as Logan pressed more firmly, feeling the thick sheets in his hand soaking up blood faster than he liked. Cooper held Lulu firmly by the shoulder with one arm and checked the rest of her quickly with the other, making use she was only bleeding from the one place. When he was sure that it was just the blow stitches, he turned to face Logan who meet his eyes with concern. They could both see that she was bleeding too quickly.

Returning with the first aid, Carly was startled to see Cooper Barrett ripping up her fine linens. "What are you doing?"

"She's bleeding out," Logan explain as he ignored Lulu's feeble efforts to push him away. "We've got to pack the wound and get her to a hospital." He mentally shielded himself against the sounds of Lulu's cries as he lifted her to allow Coop to bind the wound tight with the make shift bandage. It wasn't two seconds before the pale yellow sheets were soaked through again. "Bind it tighter," he hissed at Cooper.

Barely acknowledging him, Coop began to move more quickly. Glancing only a second over his shoulder, "Call for an ambulance."

"Wouldn't it be faster to drive there?"

"Can you get a car ready?" Logan asked forcefully as Lulu began to cry in earnest. He's never done well with crying girls but for some reason Lulu's tears were doing awful things to him now.

_"Speed dial is a beautiful thing,"_ Carly thought as she put the phone to her ears. "Pull the car around. Lulu needs to go to the hospital now. Get Jason and Sonny on the line, tell them what's happening."

"That's handy," Cooper muttered under his breath as he tied off the bandage and check to see if she was bleeding through the thick materials. Thankfully, she wasn't. He glanced up and manfully concealed his blanch at Lulu's pained and deathly pale face. "How is she?"

Logan didn't respond as Lulu's fraying hands caught him in the chin by surprise and he almost dropped her back on the bed. "Damn it."

"Here," Cooper lifted Lulu from Logan's arms, frowning at the amount of blood that now covered Logan and the bed. "She's bleeding bad." Looking at Carly, "What happened to her?"

"Shot," Carly answered in staccato, motioning them toward the back stairs. "Twice. Front to back. Clean. Released this morning."

"Who the hell would shoot Lulu?" Logan demanded, his anger rising so fast he didn't recognize it until it colored his question.

"Who the hell knows," Carly snapped back pulling open her back door as the black SUV pulled up with a screech. She was suddenly very thankful that she allowed Sonny to convince her to have a car and driver ready at all times.

Coop waited until Logan got in before handing Lulu up to him carefully. Carly scrambled into the back seat on the other side, taking her cousin's head between her hands carefully, murmuring soft reassurances while darting pained and worried looks at the two young men that came to Lulu's rescue. "What are you guys doing here, anyways?"

"Mr. Corinthos sent me via Mr. Max Giambetti at the hotel, said something about you needing someone with a good shot at the house," Logan answered, bracing Lulu's body with his own.

Carly made a face as her mind tried to recall what had been on Logan Hayes's resumé when she had very cursorily glanced at it after Cooper had resigned and offered Logan as his replacement. There was something about them being army buddies and military training and something or other. Max had said it looked okay so she hadn't even given it another thought.

Hurrying into the passenger seat and motioning for the driver to take off, Cooper turned around to check on Lulu again, "I was sent to delivery a notice from the PCPD: they want to put 24/7 watch on Lulu, for her safety." He frowned and reached over to take Lulu's pulse; it was steady if not strong.

"Oh yeah, she's going to _love_ that," Logan muttered with a shake of his head and tightened his grip on Lulu when she shifted and suddenly opened her eyes, staring at him with a glassy vacant gaze. "Hey there. Told you you'd end up in my arms."

That broke through the pain induced haze as nothing else will. Lifting one weak arm, Lulu slapped him rather pathetically across the face before her strength gave out and her arm dropped like dead weight.

Logan smirked, silently glad that she was at least responding. "That any way to say thank you?"

"Go to hell," Lulu tried to say though her breath fell short.

"Hey, hey, hey," Coop shook her by the shoulder and forced her to turn to him. "Try to keep your eyes open, Ms. Spencer. You're losing a lot of blood and we need to…"

Lulu's eyes narrowed on Cooper's face trying to focus but was obviously having a great deal of difficulties. "Aren't you Maxie's new thing?"

Flushing red at being referred to as if he was a toy of some kind, Coop tried to say something but it was drowned out by Logan's laughter. Really, there was no reason at all not to simply adore the spunky Lulu Spencer. "She's got your number, buddy."

Cooper shot him a glare, "As I was saying…"

"You really shouldn't be here," Lulu advised him quietly, her eyes barely staying open then yapping with pain when Logan purposely jostled her. "Quit it!" her voice stronger with a snap.

"Quite falling asleep on me and I will," Logan replied just as sharply.

"Logan," Coop warned, "Careful with the movements. We don't want to further tear that…"

"Have you always been so by the books or am I just suddenly noticing it?" Logan asked, mildly curious.

"And if you are," Lulu added, turning her head to look at the cadet with a curious eye, "What the hell are you doing with Maxie Jones?"

Carly gave a silent sigh of relief and exasperation; both annoyed by their bantering while her cousin was drifting in and out of consciousness but relieved by the fact that both men seemed intent on keeping Lulu's attention and therefore keep her awake and alert. She didn't want Lulu to see how badly shaken she had been at the sight of so much blood on Lulu's bed; it reminded her too much of when Carly had been forced to sew Robin Scorpio back together again with nothing but a needle and fishing wires. She had never been so afraid in her life… and now here was Lulu, someone she actually cared about a great deal, being held together by bed sheets and two very determined men. She wasn't sure anything could be worse than this. "Frankie," getting the driver's attention in the rear view mirror, "Drive faster."

-&-&-&-

Holding his tiny daughter carefully in his crook of arms, Lorenzo smiled down at the innocent sweet child with love and pride. "You are going to grow up one day to be the prettiest little girl in town," he murmured softly to the sleepy baby. "And your daddy is going to make sure you have everything you could ever want in this world."

Enrico grinned like an idiot at the doorway, watching his best friend and boss baby talk to his now only child. He had been there, in Venezuela, when Lorenzo arrived with his dead son for burial. The man had been devastated despite only knowing the boy for such a short time. And in his pain, Lorenzo had turned cold and hasty with his South American contacts, making reckless decisions that were now becoming problems. "You know what your enemies will say if they see you talking this way?"

Lorenzo didn't even bother turning. "They will respect that I am a father to my child."

Still grinning, Enrico took a seat by the bassinet Lorenzo had set on a low table by his desk. "She looks like a happy _niña_."

"She's has no cares in the world," Lorenzo answered, tucking the pale pink blanket around the child with great care, "As it should be." Looking up, Lorenzo Alcazar went from father to mobster in a blink of an eye. "What do you have?"

"Skye met with the Spencer-girl's father," Enrico reported with a tight smile. "That bond is strong, Lorenzo; you have to be very careful with that one."

"Skye's friendship with Luke Spencer is not of concern."

"I feel different," Enrico countered with a frown. "You did not see his face; his anger runs deep. If Mr. Spencer should feel that you are responsible for his daughter's pains…"

Holding up a hand, Lorenzo considered this a moment. He's heard and seen enough of Luke Spencer to know that should he decide to make himself a nuisance, Luke could be an uncomfortable problem.

"Also…"

"What?"

"The Spencer-girl has been taken to the hospital once more."

Lorenzo's hand tightened on the arms of his chair making the leather creak in protest. "Why?"

"The reasons are unknown," Enrico answered carefully, observing the obvious concern in his friend. His boss was becoming too attached, too involved in his ex-wife's life once more; and Enrico was certain that it was Carly Corinthos that Lorenzo was concerned for despite his assertion about paying a so-called debt to his dead son. It was dangerous for him to be distracted right now. "She was taken from the house by two men, one in _un uniforme del policía_, only five minutes before. I am awaiting word."

"I want to know as soon as you hear," Lorenzo said getting up, checking Lila Rae instinctive for changes then walked unhindered to the fireplace. "What of Morales's men?"

"Some have left with him."

"Some?"

Enrico didn't answer; didn't need to.

Annoyed, "Who do we have on the rest?"

"Juan and Jimmy."

Surprised, Lorenzo turned to stare for a moment. "The Santos brothers?"

"Yes," he answered with an amused smile.

More than a little diverted now, "I was under the impression that Juan vowed never to step foot north of Puerto Rico."

"You called," Enrico answered with a shrug.

"I called _you_," Lorenzo pointed out logically.

"Yes and I called them on _your_ behalf," he replied easily. "I considered it a..." he snapped his fingers softly trying to recall the English word, "A foresight."

Lorenzo would agree. "Juan as good as he once was?"

"As always," Enrico answered, his mouth twisting into a grin that was ridiculously charming when he wanted it to be, "But even he admits that Jimmy is even better."

"Little Jimmy Santo," Lorenzo mused for a moment, his eyes twinkling with amusement, "His father would be proud." Nodding to himself, a decision made, "You were correct, Enrico, Morales has grown too big for his pants," he smiled, a dangerous smile of cold ruthlessness, "Perhaps it time to send him a little message."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note #2**: I know that I made Lorenzo seem very evil and bad just now but the man is a mobster, after all, it's part of his job to be evil and callous at times. I hate it when they try to make the bad guys good… yeah, I get that you have to show their humanity in order for the audience to connect with them but there's no need to disguise or soften them to the point where they become ineffectual in what they actually do. I want Sonny and Lorenzo to do their jobs, be mobsters: Tony Soprano style; it doesn't mean I like them any less.


	6. Shifts

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the American Broadcasting Companies, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means, owned by any individual, myself included of course. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews. Monetary shows of appreciation is highly discouraged as it might land this author in jail. Thank you for your cooperation and time in reading this useless disclaimer.

**Summary**: Edward looks in on Lulu, Tracy issues a warning, Jason makes arrangements and Coop gets an unusually uncomfortable assignment.

**Timeline**: I think by this time you've all figured out what the heck is going on… so I'm not going to do this anymore. And if you've just jumped into this story…. Why the heck are you starting it at chapter 6? Go back and read the other stories for goodness sakes.

**Author's Note**: The recent episodes have been… interesting. I'm glad that the Logan/Scott connection is finally confirmed because they were really dragging that out forever. I'm still up in the air about the whole Logan/Lulu thing… and I found her accepting a date with Logan to be out of character for her. (How do you give up on love one minute and accept a date on the next?) But whatever… it would at least set up nice fireworks for Luke/Scott moments when Anthony Geary returns from his summer hiatus. I'm so glad that the veteran actors are getting airtime; they're so awesome to watch. Anyways, all that was to tell you that…. None of it will be here in my story. I'm going forward with my original concepts and hoping for the best.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

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Chapter 6 - Shifts

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Carly looked up from where she had buried her face when the firm grip fell on her shoulder. Troubled blue eyes reflected back at her before she got up and received the hug that Jason hadn't offered but she desperately needed. When Jason's arms finally fell around her, she whispered fearfully, "Dr. Drake said that she must have been bleeding for some time before we even found her. One hole had been ripped wide open and half the staples came out of the other three." Still with trembling hands, Carly pulled back to take a deep breath and wiped her face. "I should have checked in on her sooner."

"She'll be fine," Jason assured her firmly and glanced at the others in the room. Cooper Barrett and Logan Hayes both still wore Lulu's blood on their clothes and either of them looked up to meet his eyes. "What's their story?"

Glancing over her shoulders, "Sonny sent Logan to cover the ground from high up; he was apparently a sharp shooter in the army. Cooper came to give Lulu notice that Mac wants to sic some police on her for the time being." Carly closed her eyes, let herself be assured for a moment. "They found her, bandaged her up and got her to the hospital in one piece." When Jason continued to stare at the two, Carly touched his arms and give him her thoughts, "I think they may have saved Lulu's life."

Nodding his head in understanding, Jason turned to look at the rest of the occupants. Emily and Nikolas stood to one side, Emily reassuring Nikolas in that soft gentle way of hers. Lucky stood against the far wall, his eyes closed and his face haggard with concern. Luke sat beside his son…staring at Jason. Tracy stood by her husband… also staring at Jason. Across the room, Elizabeth stood by herself, watching Lucky with sad eyes. Jason quashed the urge to speak with Elizabeth about the guards he's already assigned to her home.

"JASON!" Edward bellowed, coming into the room with all the authority of a king in his throne room with an annoyed Monica trailing after him. His bushy brows lowered with irritation as he came toward his wayward grandson, the mobster. "What are you going to do about the mess?"

Jason gave his mother a nod of greeting before staring unblinkingly at Edward.

Carly rolled her eyes, "What are you doing here, Edward?"

Blistering with indignation, "Lulu is family now."

"Really?" raising one blond brow at him, "Which part of that demented family of yours would that be? You hate her father and she lost your great-grandchild," Carly tiled her head and looked up at the ceiling as if concentrating on a recall, "She broke up your grandson's marriage and your daughter barely tolerates her presence in your house…"

"That's not true!" Tracy protested hotly from where she had been standing, having been watching the exchange with amusement up until now.

"It's my house," Monica couldn't help but correct.

Luke chose that moment to pipe up with, "Alan gave it to her," just for old time sakes.

Tracy slanted him a look of something close to terror.

Naturally, Carly ignored the interruption. "So explain to me, old man; what part of that dysfunctional family does my cousin play?"

Edward sputtered for a moment. "Lulu is currently my step-grandchild and I want to know what Jason is going to do about protecting that sweet girl from his mob activities."

Carly gave Edward a disbelieving look then turned to Luke with questioning raised brows. Edward hadn't exactly been Lulu's champion before.

Shrugging his shoulders, Luke answered, "Don't look at me, Caroline. This is all new to me too."

Waving that all way, Edward continued in that bellowing manner of his, "Lesley Lu and I may not always see eye to eye," his face suddenly became sad with memories of that lost great-grandchild, but he rallied himself up just as quickly, "But for better or for worse, she's part of this family now and will forever be connected no matter what anyone says. I do not want to see that child hurt for any reason. Lila and Laura would never forgive me if I sat around and do nothing while Jason puts that girl in danger."

"Jason did no such thing!" Carly yelled heatedly.

"EDWARD!" Monica planted her fists on her hip and scowled at her father-in-law. "Don't you dare even…"

Dr. Noah Drake paused at the door, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nothing but the usual," Luke said with a tried smile for his old friend. "How is my baby girl this time?"

Noah blew out a breath and didn't bother opening the chart in his hand. "We seemed to have released your baby girl a little too soon." He frowned and muttered something like "stupid hospital policy" under his breath before letting go of something with a quick glance at an equally annoyed Monica. "She's a little more dehydrated than I'd like but that's being fixed right now. We've given her two units of blood and will probably hang another one tomorrow; she lost _a lot_ of that stuff today."

"But she'll be okay, right?" Cooper, silent until now, asked with anxiety.

"She'll make it," Noah answered frowning at the blood on the young man's clothes. "Did you boys bring her in?"

"We found her," Logan answered quietly, not sure he wanted to bring attention to him and Coop at the moment. Mrs. Corinthos and the Quartermaines seemed to have such a _lovely_ relationship. "Got her here as fast as we could."

"Quick thinking with the pressure bandages boys," Noah commended with a smile. It had taken staff a good five minutes to cut through the length of the wrappings that mummified Lesley Lu's mid-section but it closed the wound long enough to save her life. "You'd make excellent paramedics."

Blushing, Cooper ducked her head while Logan smirked and rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

"Is she awake?" Lucky wanted to know, his eyes anxious. "Can we see her?"

"Sure," Noah answered, "But keep it short and let her rest."

"We will," Nikolas assured the doctor before thanking the man with a quick handshake and a sigh of relief. He'll have to remind his sister to stop with the death-defying acts; he wasn't sure his heart could take that kind of pressure. "Family first?"

"That's an excellent idea, young man," Edward said making for the door.

"_Her_ family, grandfather," Emily called out and snagged Edward's arm firmly in her hands. "I think her father and brothers would like to be the first to see her."

While Edward grumbled disagreeably, Luke rolled her eyes and trooped out with Lucky. Nikolas stopped only long enough to thank Emily with a quick kiss though he did pause at the door and indicated with a tilt of his head at Carly, including her the family event. It was the first time that he had invited Carly to a part of _his_ family; they, after all, shared nothing but bad blood. Thanking him with a silent smile, she declined with a quick shake and indicated the rest of the room. Someone had to be around to hold down the fort here. With a nod of understanding, Nikolas left.

"Well Jason?" Edward demanded, "I asked you what you're going to do about protecting that child?"

"Lulu is hardly a child," Carly said with a roll of her eyes. "And Jason has already provided adequate security for her."

"By placing her under _your_ care?" Edward scuffed with a wave of his hand, dismissing the idea. "She should have come home to the mansion with us is what she should have done; maybe then she wouldn't have almost bled to…"

"Enough!" Jason ordered sharply. He didn't mind the attack on himself but he certainly wasn't going to stand around and listen to Edward badmouth Carly, especially when it came to Lulu. "Go home, you're not needed here."

Pulling himself to full height, Edward took a step forward. "I will not be order from this hospital by…"

"Grandfather," Emily said tugging on Edward's arm with a kind of strength one wouldn't have expected from delicate little Emily Quartermaine. "Why don't you and I go get some coffee and wait for our turn to see Lulu, okay? I want to show you the beautiful display the hospital has set up for the Children's wing of the hospital," she smiled sweetly and pulled on Edward's arm until the sputtering, protesting Quartermaine patriarch finally grudgingly followed her out. Emily threw Jason an apologetic look over her shoulder and smiled at her brother with resigned exasperating amusement.

"That is one twisted old man," Logan muttered under his breath just loud enough for the whole of the room to hear. Coop frowned and nudged him with his elbow to be quiet.

"Well," Monica sighed heavily and shook her head. "That was entertaining."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment to shave off the impending headache. Turning, he faced a surprisingly calm Carly. "You all right?"

Carly nodded, schooling her face not to give away her hurt and anger.

But Jason was one of the few people that could always read her like a book. Tilting his head to look at her when she avoided his gaze, "He was out of line," he said quietly and with the kind of conviction that came from his absolute confidence that Carly would do anything for Lulu. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Taking a breath and swallowing her anger, "She could have bled to death with me just sitting downstairs."

"Stop it," he ordered softly, looking her in the eye. "You're not helping Lulu right now. You couldn't have known."

"How do you think she reopened her wounds, Jason?" she asked with an angry hiss at her own stupidity, ignoring the looks from Monica and Tracy. "I knew she wasn't going to be sleeping well. I knew she was going to have nightmares and flopping around the bed. Did I check in on her to make sure she was okay? No." Carly gave a bitter, angry, self depreciating laugh.

"Don't do this, Carly," Jason warned.

Because this was Jason and because when he asked something she's never been able to say no, Carly nodded her head and took another deep breath to calm her raging guilt. "What do you want me to do now?"

"Take her home when they release her," Jason said very simply. "Nothing has changed. You're still her best bet at a safe place."

Monica cleared her throat then. "Or…" looking carefully at Carly, "I could take her home with me if you're worried about her medical condition. I or Emily will be around the house," she looked at Jason then, smiling for her son's benefit, "And we can modify security to accommodate whatever it takes to protect Lulu."

Jason shook his head. "No, Lulu's better off at Carly's; it's a great deal harder to get to there." And while he appreciated his mother's offer, which was magnanimous to say the least, he couldn't do that to Carly.

Nodding her head in understanding, Monica touched Jason's arm. And for the first time in a long time, Jason didn't pull away. "The offer stands if you need it."

"Thank you," Carly said quietly, appreciating that Monica was doing this not just for Jason but for Lulu as well.

Nodding, Monica left them and was almost out of the waiting room when Skye nearly ran her over. Stopping sort of colliding, Skye stared at Monica for a moment, not quite sure what to say. As the case of many of their meetings, Monica stared at Skye for a few moment, still trying to see what was it in this woman that Alan saw before turning away. She had nothing to say to Skye and there was nothing Skye could say to ease the pain of Alan's loss.

"What are you doing here?" Tracy demanded from where she had been quietly watching the room, eyeing the two young men that had decided it was best to keep inconspicuous; a wise decision in her thinking, which made them not complete morons in her book.

Pulling herself together, Skye lifted her chin and regarded Tracy with a steely eyed look. "I came to see Lulu."

"Really now?" Tracy crossed her arms over her chest and gave the redhead a bland look of contempt. "Same kind of concern you showed Alan, is it?"

Frosty looks traded, Skye urged herself not to rise to Tracy's bait.

"Go home, Skye," Carly advised quietly but without any heat. She was too tired to go fifty rounds with Lorenzo's mistress. "Lulu's not going to see you."

"I think that's for Lulu and her family to decide," Skye shot back.

"And _we've_ decided that your presence isn't healthy for Lulu," Carly replied back firmly, her blue eyes sharpening with a kind of intensity that most didn't do well against. She hadn't any intentions of picking a fight with Skye Quartermaine but she certainly wasn't going to back down from one if the gauntlet was thrown.

"Since when did you become family?" Skye spat back.

"Since I'm her cousin," Carly said in that unarguable tone of hers that usually got a rise out of people, "And you're the woman that had the child of the guy that tried to kill her," she gave Skye a look as if the redhead should have figured that out all by herself already. "Take a hint, Skye. If Luke hadn't warned you off by now, I'll be more than happy to do so."

There was a tense and deathly silence as the two women regarded each other with equal amounts of animosity, neither one willing to back down. It was fortunate that a nurse choice that moment to interrupt, "Mrs. Corinthos?"

"Yes?" Carly replied, pulling her heated gaze from Skye.

"Ms. Spencer is asking for you," the pale faced nurse informed her with a smile before slipping away again.

"I'll be back," Carly said to Jason, shooting daggers at Skye at the same time.

"I'll be down in accounting," Jason replied as he walked her out. It was one way of insuring that Carly didn't do anything rash. He glanced at Liz, who had been silent, then dismiss the thought quickly. Now wasn't the time.

Logan could almost feel the smile coming on but remained passive. This was better than a soap opera.

Cooper wished to he could get out of there without anyone else taking notice. But he didn't want to leave until he's had a chance to speak with Lulu Spencer and delivery the message from the commissioner.

Skye turned to go but Tracy's next words stopped her. "Stay away from my husband."

Glancing haughtily over one shoulder, "If you're feeling so insecure about Luke…"

"As if," Tracy waved that thought away. "I have no illusions about my husband, Skye; unlike like you and that mobster you call your boyfriend. But Luke has a soft spot for damsels in distress and you do like to play the wounded bird, don't you Skye?"

The jab had been deliberate and cut deep into Skye's already vulnerable shields. She hadn't gone home; hadn't really want to face Lorenzo yet to find out the truth. There was some doubts in her mind, doubts she didn't want to confront quite yet. If what Luke had been hinting at were true, her life was about to implode.

"What's the matter?" Tracy sneered, "Mobster's got your tongue?"

Schooling her cool face to resemble something like a block of ice, hoping that her fears couldn't be seen through her eyes, Skye squared her shoulder against the older woman. "Tracy, I don't need any tricks to get my man… or yours for that matters. I'm well aware of what kind of man the father of my child is and I have no problems with it. It would appear that you're spending a great deal more time concerned about your marriage than is healthy. I can't help it if Luke finds that I can…"

"Luke knows what kind of man Lorenzo Alcazar is, which is why he finds it in his heart to allow your continual presence in our lives," Tracy interjected in an almost bored tone. "But make no mistakes out it, Luke protects his own. And even if my husband and his stupidly soft heart can't find it in his powers to hunt you down if we find out that you had anything to do with Lulu getting hurt, I will make it my life's mission to make sure you disappear without a trace. And trust me, no one would miss you," Tracy pronounced this with all the contempt and rage she felt toward Skye for every event that's happened in the past year.

Skye's eyes went icy. "You better be careful who you threaten, Tracy?"

"Who said anything about a threat?" Tracy replied and swept out of the room with the regal bearings of a queen. There were some things she had inherited in abundance from her dearly departed mother, getting in the last word was one of them.

Skye closed her eyes for a moment, her body tense with fear, dread and enough pain to realize that her life before Lorenzo Alcazar was gone; simply gone. There would be no lovely peaceful dinners with Alan. No light happy flirtatious adventures with Luke. No easy sparring with Edward and Lulu. Things she'd had taken for grated were no longer there. Her life as Skye Chandler Quartermaine was as dead as her adopted father. And there was simply nothing she could do about it. Now… now she had Lila Rae and Lorenzo; her helpless child and a very dangerous man she had forever linked her life to. How had her life come to this?

-&-&-&-

"Windermere can be fortified and…"

"Forget it."

"And you will be perfectly safe there," Nikolas continued as if Lulu hadn't spoken. The miniature heartattacks his sister has been giving him in the last two days have been enough to age him ten years. "I will double the patrols and inform the servants that…"

"I said forget it," Lulu shouted at the top of her lungs as the door swung open to allow Carly in. She looked ridiculously grateful.

"I leave you alone for three minutes and you're already in trouble again?" Carly said with a raised brow, her eyes doing a quick assessment of how Lulu was holding up. With the exception of an extremely pale face, Lulu appear to be doing quite all right for someone that almost died a few hours ago.

"Tell Nikolas that I'm not going home with him," Lulu said with a pointed look at her eldest brother. "Tell him that I'm perfectly safe with you."

Carly nodded her head as she sat by Lulu's side and dutifully turned to Nikolas. "Lulu says that…"

"I heard what she said," Nikolas interrupted with great exasperation, "I just think that it would be a better idea if…"

"Blah, blah, blah," Lulu mimic annoying beak motions with her hand and rolled her eyes.

"I live on an island," Nikolas pointed out. "There is no better fortress than that."

"Which is how Helena always got to you, right?" Lulu shot back.

"The tunnels are sealed now, I made sure of that," he looked to Lucky, "Help me here."

Lucky held up his hands and backed off quickly when both his siblings turned to him. He gave Nikolas a sympathetic smile, "I've learned a long time ago not to argue with Lulu when she gets that look."

"What looked?" Lulu demanded.

"The one you're wearing right now," Lucky answered with a smirk, "The same one Carly has on too."

Shutting her mouth, Carly took a moment to figure out what she was going to say then decided that the best answer would be to stick her tongue out at Lucky.

"Real mature there, Caroline," Luke murmured with a shake of his head.

Lulu giggled.

Lucky retaliated by returning the favor.

"Guys," Nikolas said getting their attention. "Decorum, please."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Doc is going to keep you here overnight…"

"Noooo…." Lulu moaned.

"Yesss….." Carly replied wiggling a finger at her. "You're going to stay here overnight. If they think you can leave tomorrow, we'll put you back in the house. I've got people there cleaning up all the blood you trailed all over my nice clean hardwood floors. Thank god the boys are with Sonny today."

Lulu grumbled something under her breath. "What happened to Logan and Coop?"

"Still in the waiting room. You want to see them?"

"No," Lulu made a face. "But I guess I should thank them or something."

"I'll handle it," Carly said without thought. "You rest," she patted Lulu on the arm before getting up. "The rest of you, out."

Luke rolled his eyes at Carly. "You and Morgan set up security already?"

"Of course," Carly replied a little indignant that her uncle would even question it. "On top of that, I'm going to add extra staff to the house." She turned to Lulu with a frown. "This isn't going to happen again, you understand me?"

"Yeah," Lulu nodded and made a face.

Nikolas sighed. "I still say that moving you to Windermere is a…"

"Really bad idea," Lucky finished for his brother. "Seriously Nik, I get that you want to protect and take care of Lulu and we all appreciate that. But you live on an island," repeating Nikolas's earlier argument from the other side, "Lulu isn't going to do too well on the trip over there what with the rolling waters and her big gaping wounds. And god forbid that Lulu should suddenly need another trip to the emergency room, _you live on a freaking island_."

"All right," Nikolas conceded with great exasperation. "I get the point."

"Thank you," Lulu said with a smile followed by a yawn.

"You sleep now, gumdrop," Luke said looking at her with sad eyes. "We'll be by tomorrow to see you."

Nodding her head as she nodded off, Lulu murmured her good-nights and felt lips brush her forehead before she drifted off to wonderland.

-&-&-&-

"You think we're going to get to see her before they kick us out?" Logan asked softly as Edward Quartermaine paced the room slowly, grumbling loudly about the disrespectful youths of today. Emily Quartermaine stood off to the side sipping coffee and watching her grandfather with an amused smile.

Cooper look uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat and frowned when Mr. Quartermaine glanced their way with quick angry looks before continuing to pace the room. "I don't know," he answered only when the others weren't paying attention to the two of them. He glanced down at his uniform, grimacing at the almost black blood stain that covered most of his shirt front. He hadn't thought he'd be seeing so much blood ever again, not since the ambush attack during his final weeks in Iraq.

"You okay?" Logan asked, watching Coop out of the corner of his eyes. He didn't like the slightly pensive look in his buddy's face.

"Remember Seth?" Coop asked quietly, his fingers picking at the button of his shirt where Lulu's blood hadn't touched.

Logan's mouth quirked up. "Yeah." Private Seth O'Rourke had been a good drinking buddy, never one to not want to share a good time with anyone and everyone in their unit. For such a little guy, he sure could pack away the booze.

"Remember when he died?"

The smile disappeared as memories of an explosion and an overturned tank flashed across his mind's eye. "Yeah." They had lost several good men that day. Seth had died in Coop's arms when his body had been thrown against Coop's, shielding Cooper from the worse of the blast. That was the day Logan had saved Coop's life when he disobeyed direct orders to drew enemy fire while the rest of the unit drag their dead or wounded, Cooper Barrett being one of them, to safety. Logan's impeccable aim and sheer guts had kept their unit together that day.

Coop looked down at the blood on his clothes again before meeting Logan's eyes. "There wasn't this much blood that day."

Silence descended between the two broken only by the sound of an angry Edward.

"Ongoing investigation? I don't care what you have to do! You get those men and you tell Jason that I expect that little girl to be…"

"Edward," Mac said patiently, looking like he would like nothing better than to turn around and walk out, "We are doing the best we can. I have men combing the streets for suspects. Until we get a lead…"

"Combing the streets," Edward repeated with great distain, "That only means you haven't got a clue as to what you're doing."

Mac took a breath and told himself that hitting a civilian would be a really bad idea and set a really bad example for the rest of his men. "We're doing our best."

Edward didn't seem the least bit satisfy with any of that. "What is this world coming to when children can't even walk on the streets without fearing they're going to get shot!"

"Maybe you should talk to your grandson Jason about some of that?" Mac suggested quite cheerfully.

"Are you suggesting," Emily interjected at this point, "That Jason was at fault for being shot at?"

"I'm not suggesting anything, Ms. Quartermaine," Mac replied diplomatically. "But your brother could at least try to show some cooperation by talking to us about what happened the day of the shooting. He refused to say anything at this point."

"Jason has his reasons for not talking to the PCPD," Emily qualified, "Considering how he was treated over the years by the department."

"I will grant that the association hasn't always been pleasant," Mac conceded with a nod, "But I think we can both agree that Mr. Morgan isn't the innocent victim in this case and our main concern is keeping Ms. Spencer from becoming more embroiled in this than she already is."

"So catching the men that shot at my brother is no longer a priority?" Emily asked.

"That's not what I'm saying here," Mac backpedaled.

"It certain sounds like it to me," Emily replied with only a mild curiosity.

Edward chuckled. "Are you sure you wouldn't much rather go to law school, my dear?"

"Grandfather," Emily said in a warning tone as she told herself to calm down. She understood that Mac wasn't the bad guy here… simply misinformed. "Commissioner, I think we should agree to disagree in the matter of my brother."

"I think that's a very wise idea," Mac replied with a sigh and headed toward the object of his visit. "Cadet," he greeted as Cooper Barrett got to his feet smartly. "Tell me what happened."

Coop gave a short, precision report, military styled and stood in attention while the commissioner considered the next step.

"You had medical training."

"Just basic first-aid, sir; standard combat-zone training." Coop ignored the smirk on Logan's face when he said it.

"Well it was more than enough to save Lulu's life. Good job," Mac pronounced with a grime smile as he realized that he was going to have to do something about this growing problem with the rival organizations in town. It was bad enough that they had nothing on Sonny Corinthos after all these years but now with Lorenzo Alcazar setting up shop in town and stirring up some major trouble… well, he could only take it one step at a time. And right now, he's got an innocent girl that got caught in the middle of a problem that he has to protect. "I'm reassigning you, Barrett."

"Sir?"

"Forget the ride along for now," Mac murmured considering his options. "I'm going to put you on bodyguard detail for now."

"Sir, I'm only a cadet."

"And I'm the commissioner that can grant special privileges. Your combat training has just moved you through your cadet training. I want you trailing Lesley Lu Spencer from now on," Mac informed him in no uncertain terms then patted the young man on the chest. "I'll let you know the details soon. Go home, get cleaned up and get some rest. As of tomorrow, you're going to become Lulu Spencer's best friend." With that, Mac left, leaving an open mouthed Cooper Barrett behind.

Logan's lips twitched dangerously. "Oh yeah, I know someone who's going to _love_ this."

_To be continued…_

**2nd Author's Notes**: Does anyone remember when Lucky was an actual cadet? I sure can't. It seemed like he went from taking the exams for the police academy to becoming a full fledge detective… nothing in between. I can't even remember when he was in uniform. (sigh) Either my memory is going or it's one of those lovely rapid-age soap opera thing. Oh, I give up.

**Next Time**:  
"Daddy, stay," Cameron begged, tugging fiercely at his arm.

Shrugging without concern, Logan leaned against the far wall and watched Cooper check himself in the mirror. "Mrs. Corinthos isn't going to care what you look like as long as you can shoot straight. And Lulu's not going to be awake long enough to appreciate it."


	7. Pieces

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the American Broadcasting Companies, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means, owned by any individual, myself included of course. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Liz makes an appeal, Jason checks in, Maxie forms a plan, Cooper meets Luke Spencer and Lucky gets a disturbing new assignment.

**Timeline**: Okay, timeline issues. I forgot that I had eliminate the whole shooting in the Cellar so Maxie doesn't find out about Coop working for Sonny. Let's assume that they all still have their little secrets.

**Author's Note**: Not going to watching the GH spin off on SoapNet (mostly because I don't have cable). I'm really not sure what the point of that is about anyways. You introduce new characters that interact with the established ones… and then leave them on another show? It's Port Charles all over again, without the hotness of Thorsten Kaye. I'm sorry but I can't stand Robin and Patrick; that couple got on my nerves so fast with their tug-of-war kind of relationship. It kills me. Though I have to say that I like the Patrick/Noah aspects. You don't get enough parent/child interaction on GH these days. With the exception of Michael, you don't see any children around. (Of course, Dylan Cash is a ridiculously good child actor; who won't want to see him more.)

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 7 – Pieces

* * *

**

Liz placed the grocery bags down with a little sighed and smiled as best she could when Cameron lifted the loaf of bread she had allowed him to carry from the car. "Good job, little man. Why don't you go into the living room and sit with your book? Mommy's going to put away this stuff then make you dinner, okay?"

Cameron's little face scrunched up with delight at the mention of food (the boy was turning into a bottomless pit) and rushed off to stay out of the way, his little book on trains that Lucky had gotten him on his last visit clutched protectively under his arm. Cameron's ability to take Lucky's absence in stride, certain that his father would be home any day now, broke Liz's heart a little while at the same time made her that much more determined to bring her husband home. She just had to figure out how. Shaking her head, Liz had just started on the first bag when she heard her son's delighted, "DADDY!" from the next room.

Her heart jumped a beat as she dropped the packet of string cheese in her hands and rushed to the door just in time to see Lucky swing Cameron up into his arms, the young boy giggled with glee as his father pressed a kiss to his cheek. "How are you doing, little man?"

Chubby little arms closed around Lucky's neck, "Daddy read," Cameron demanded, thrusting his book under Lucky's nose.

Laughing, Lucky hugged his son a little tighter just before he looked up and saw Liz at the kitchen door. The smile slipped from his lips slowly and he fell into silence. Once upon a time, those eyes told Liz something she refused to acknowledge until it was almost too late. And now… they told her something she didn't want to hear, didn't want to believe.

"Lucky," she greeted, her smile tentative but full of hope. He was here, in the house they shared, that was a step.

Setting Cam down onto the sofa with some reluctance, Lucky greeted his estranged wife with a nod and a tense smile, mostly for his son's benefit.

Hoping for something other than the uncomfortable silence, she moved into the room and opened her mouth to invite him to stay for dinner, for Cameron if not for her, when she spotted the duffle by the front door. Her hope slipped a notch.

It was clear by where her eyes had gone that she had seen the bag, he didn't deny it. "I came to get some more clothes."

"Daddy, stay," Cameron begged, tugging fiercely at his arm.

Dragging his eyes away from the woman he had once vowed never to give up on, Lucky forced air through his closed throat and looked down at the shiny pleading eyes of his son, the child that didn't share his blood but was every bit his in all the ways that count. _"If you had told me, Liz; if you had just told me from the beginning…"_ He touched the little boy's caramel colored curls with affection. "I can't little buddy. Daddy only stopped by to get some stuff. I have to go now."

"Lucky," Liz hurried over to sit by her son, reaching for Lucky's hand and pretended that she wasn't hurt when he jerked away quickly. "Please stay for dinner," she beseeched softly, holding her son out to him as an incentive, "Cam and I would really love it if you stayed."

"Dinner!" Cameron said excitedly. "Daddy have dinner," he bounced on the couch, holding his father's hand while his mother kept him from falling.

It would be so easy, so very simple for him to say yes; just for one night pretend that everything was all right. That his wife hadn't been lying to him for months, hadn't tried to pass another man's child off as his own. That she hadn't loved another. That she hadn't kept a secret. That she hadn't broken his heart. A part of him wondered if this was payback for all the heartache he put her through the past year. If it was, the punishment was beyond cruel; to offer him a family based on a lie then rip it all away.

"Please Lucky," Liz said quietly, her eyes searching his for some clue as to what to do.

He didn't think his shattered heart could hurt any more than he already does but her soft plead and the sound of his son's voice stabbed him hard. He closed his eyes, willing the icy wall around his heart to stand steady, "I can't."

"Daddy," Cameron's little hands tightened on Lucky's. "Daddy?" the child sensed something off and knew instinctively which parent he needed to appeal to.

"I have to go, buddy," Lucky said hurriedly as he dropped a kiss on the child's head and pulled away quickly.

"Lucky!" Liz called as she picked up Cameron and hurried to the open front door.

Lucky moved fast, knowing he would simply fall apart if he stayed any longer. He couldn't do this… not now. He couldn't handle this now. It hurt; it just hurt so much.

"Lucky, please!!!" Liz felt the tears, heard her baby crying in her arms but she could only stand there staring at her husband's back as he got into the car and rushed away. Unable to hold back the pain, she sat down by the door and cried with little Cameron for what they've lost: their family.

-&-&-&-

"Come in, come in," Carly said and waved Jason in with a dish towel. "I know, I know, shocked to see me doing anything domestic. Get over it," she informed him and picked up the tray she had been carrying when she heard Jason's motorcycle approach the house. "Come on, I'm bringing Lulu some tea."

"She drinks tea?" Jason asked, shucking his jacket.

"She does now," Carly replied as she made her way carefully up the stairs. "I was reading that pamphlet that the doctor gave us about taking care of Lulu. I thought better and decided to read the damn thing since it looked all official and pretty. I know that tea wasn't on the list of things she should be having but tea solves everything right? I think I read that somewhere? Or maybe it was on one of those British shows that Jax likes so much?"

Jason glanced at the tray. "I don't think chocolate is on that list either."

"Chocolate _does_ solve everything, no ifs, ands or buts about it," Carly statement as she tilted her chin to the door. "Knock, will you?"

He knocked, then opened the door when Lulu called back a greeting.

"Tea time," Carly announced cheerfully.

Lulu looked at her funny, "You're kidding me right?"

"I went out and got you nice English tea," Carly said as she set the breakfast tray on the foot of the bed. "I even bought scones and jam for it. I think I read _that_ somewhere."

"What happened to the bed?" Jason asked as he glanced around the room. The narrow twin bed that had been there was replaced with a large queen.

"I thought Lulu would be more comfortable in a larger bed," Carly replied with a look of irritation.

"And she didn't want me falling out of it," Lulu added with a grin. "Plus there was the whole problem with me bleeding all over the last one." She smiled wider when Carly glared at her for having seen through the barely veined reasoning behind the much larger than needed bed. "By the way, did the stains come out? I heard that blood is the most difficult thing next to red wine to get out of anything fabric."

Ignoring her cousin, Carly picked up the books thrown by the flower on the nightstand, "Did you take a nap like the doctors told you to?"

"Yes, Dr. Mom," Lulu sassed with a roll of her eyes then scooted down further into the bed. Carly had been hovering ever sense she came back. It both annoyed her and gave her funny fuzzy feelings.

Jason sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm still looking into the shooting. Until we know who and why, I don't want either one of you going out without at least a bodyguard at all times.

"How's your arm?" Lulu asked as she watched Carly pour dark tea slowly into three delicate looking porcelain cups.

"It's fine," Jason answered easily and frowned at the tea Carly handed him. "What am I suppose to do with this?"

"You drink it," Carly informed him with exasperation. "Sugar? Cream?"

"One sugar, no cream," Lulu said with a smile. "Mom always took hers that way."

Jason held out his cup for Carly to pour a generous helping of cream and sugar into it then took a tentative sip. It tasted like bitter hot cream with sugar; and it was revolting. But Carly was looking at him with such high hopes that he forced himself to finish the tea in three quick gulps and handed the cup back with a shake of his head. "I've posted more guards at the front gates and informed Frankie and Carlos to trade off on driving duties; there'll be 24 hour alert guards with cars ready at your command." He didn't feel the need to tell her about the surveillance van his men found across the street. No one knew what that was about yet but Jason means to find out before too long.

"Are you still staying at the penthouse?" Carly asked, sipping her tea with distaste but refusing to acknowledge it.

"Yeah."

"Is that safe?" Lulu asked, biting into a scone crammed with jam. "I mean, these guys shot at you right in front of your house."

"I've posted more guards and…"

"What about Spinelli?" Lulu interrupted with a great deal of concern. "Is it safe for him to be living there?"

Jason raised a brow slightly at Lulu's concern for her friend. Loyalty to their friends was apparently a family trait. "I've moved Spinelli to an off-campus apartment. Stan lives near the area as does several of my people. They'll keep an eye on him for me."

Satisfy that Jason had taken the precaution needed, Lulu went back to her tea with quick pat of Jason's knee with her free hand. She grinned at him when he regarded her with a skewed look.

After another moment of silence, Jason asked, "Are you doing okay?"

"Fine," Lulu answered patting her side. "I have to go back in to get the stitches removed in two weeks but I'm doing a-okay."

Carly shook her head at them and continued to sip her nasty tea. After another minute of silence, she finally asked, "Do we have any clue as to what the hell happened? I mean, I get that you have enemies Jason but most of them aren't ballsy enough to come after you with a gun in broad daylight on an public street. It's insane! It's irrational. Not to mention incredibly stupid."

"It's what someone watching too many Hollywood gangster movies would do," Lulu added helpfully with her mouth full. "And I get the feeling that Alcazar and his people aren't that brainless."

Jason nodded his head in agreement. "If Alcazar wanted to take me out, he'd go after me in private with as little exposure to himself as possible. He'd also try to do it with the least amount of force and the highest probably of success."

Lulu frowned. "How do you know?"

Carly made a face. "Because that's what Jason would do if it was him." She regarded Jason with a look that reminded him that she's been living with this for too long. "So you think another family is trying to move into the territory?"

Lulu's head swiveled between the two in silence.

Considering it for a moment and buying time from the usually impatient Carly, Jason motioned for her to pour him another cup of tea, which she does readily. "It's too risky. With Sonny holding the ports and Alcazar obviously making a play for the area, anyone looking to move in knows that they're walking into a volatile situation, potentially sandwiching themselves between two major controlling powers. It's suicidal."

"Maybe," Carly said adding too much sugar and too little cream to Jason's tea. "Or maybe they're hoping to ignite a full out war between the two organizations and then sweep in to pick up the pieces."

Acknowledging that with a nod, Jason had to sip out the horrible tasting tea then gave Carly an accusing look for trying to poison him.

Shrugging her shoulders with consideration, Lulu offered, "But taking Jason out isn't going to be much good to them anyways, Sonny is still in charge; though I guess it would cripple Sonny a little if you were out of commission. Sonny isn't exactly lacking in manpower. But then they'd have to also take a hit out on Alcazar's men, right? Get each side to believe that the other is responsible for it? But there's no guarantee that either side would declare war. They're better off taking Carly as hostage and forcing Sonny and Lorenzo Alcazar to play games. After all, Carly is a weak spot for both. And isn't that what Alcazar did in the first place? Of course, he hadn't counted on falling in love with you."

Both Carly and Jason acknowledge that with a resigned look. Carly frowned, "Someone didn't anticipate me going straight to Lorenzo and asking him straight out for the lowdown."

"I think everyone assumes you're not on speaking terms," Lulu replied with a smirk. "Especially after that lovely little chat you and Skye had a couple of weeks ago at the Metro Court."

"She asked for it," Carly said defensively. "Don't get in my face at my place or there's going to be throw down."

"I think she's learned her lesson," Lulu nodded with a mischievous twinkle to her eyes.

Jason stared at the two ladies for a moment then got up. "I've posted enough men to insure safety. I take it the commissioner still won't pull his man out?" He would prefer as little inference from the police as possible. God knows it was much too easy to buy a police officer.

"No," Carly said quietly, watching Lulu. "I've already spoken to Mac, he's pretty dead set on putting a shadow for Lulu; some spiel about protecting the youth and honoring Laura and other stuff like that. Personally, I think the mayor's office is putting the squeeze on him about this stuff, what with this being election year and all…" she made a knowing face and smiled dryly. "The other theory being that the DA's office is putting the pressure on Mac about getting someone here, since they can't get anyone into Sonny's place, to see if they can find anything useful for Ric Lansing to use against Sonny; which is stupid considering he's not going to find anything more interesting than my shoe collection, Morgan's toys and Michael's very impressive assortment of dirty socks." Carly looked especially amused by that. "But that aside, I'm going to have him in the house, just because it's easier to watch him that way… and he did save Lulu's life so making him stay on the porch seems a little ungrateful."

The younger Spencer girl frowned. "Who are they sending?"

"Cooper Barrett," Carly said with a grin. "He's a sweetheart."

Lulu groaned and flopped back on the bed, nearly upsetting her teacup. "Great, just great!"

"You don't like him?" Carly asked, curious of the reaction since her cousin didn't seem to have a problem with the guy before.

"He's Maxie Jones's boyfriend."

"And?" Jason and Carly asked at the same time.

"Maxie and I _hate_ each other. And that's hate with a capital H."

"And?" Carly seemed almost delighted with the idea now, much to Jason's trepidation.

"And…and…" Lulu considered it a little more then grinned suddenly. "And it's going to piss Maxie off like nothing else will that her little boy toy is going to be responsible for keeping me alive. He'll be in the presence of yours truly for hours and hours and hours…" she suddenly laughed hysterically. "Oh god, I wish I could see Maxie's face when she finds out."

-&-&-&-

"I'm calling my dad!" Maxie screeched at the top of her lungs. "I'm going to call my dad and have you _resigned_!"

Coop grabbed the cell phone out of Maxie's hands in a lighting fast move that left Maxie blinking at her empty hand. Tossing the phone on the bed, Coop made a displeased face at her as he continued to dress. He had already been told to dress casually, carry his gun concealed and to keep his eyes open for anything… _just anything_. "Are you trying to get me kick off the force? What happened to keeping _us_ quiet?" He didn't need Maxie knowing that he was under Sonny Corinthos's thumb; losing his job on the PCPD would equal losing his life.

Planting her fists firmly on her hips, Maxie regarded him with an angry glare. "I do not want you hanging around with that lying little…"

"What exactly is it that you're worried about?" Coop asked, confusion written clearly across his face. The jealousy was unfound and unjustified. "She's been shot, Maxie. Someone tried to kill her."

"Won't be the first time and probably wouldn't be the last," Maxie pointed out, rolling her eyes at him.

"What does that mean?" Coop asked, clearly worried that this assignment isn't going to be the babysitting job Detective Rodriguez assured him it would be.

Maxie waved the question off and stomped to the window, staring out moodily. She wasn't dense and contrary to popular belief, she could see the appeal Lulu Spencer has on the opposite sex. It didn't take a genius to see that blonde, blue-eyed Lulu could easily compete with Maxie as far as looks goes. But there was something else about Lulu that just makes men flock to her rescue, jump to her defense, want to be near her for the simple sake of being close. The little girl lost thing works so well with Lulu Spencer, tugging at heart strings despite the attitude. Maxie didn't understand it, even her sister readily goes to Lulu's defense whenever possible despite her loyalty to family. But she didn't have to understand it to accept it and worry about it.

Coop was the best thing in a long time to come into Maxie's life. She wasn't going to let anything come between them.

"Can't you tell my dad that you're not ready for this?" Maxie asked, her eyes watching as Coop pulled on socks and shoes before clipping his sidearm to his back, pulling his shirt over it. "You're just a cadet."

"Yeah," Coop answered as he put his watch on and grabbed his cell phone and wallet, checking to make sure he's got his credentials. "But the commissioner and the D.A. thinks that I am. I can't refuse the assignment; that'd be going against direct orders. Besides, this is possibly the safest assignment I'm going to get in a long time. Don't you want me to be safe?"

"Of course I want you to be safe," she answered defensively, "But how is guarding someone that's been shot at safe?"

"She's got like fifty armed guards outside the door." He should know, he's already done a quick visual check of Mrs. Corinthos's home. Fort Knox would be easier to break into. "I'll literally be the last line of defense. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"That depends on what's threatening you," Maxie muttered darkly.

"You've got nothing to worry about," Coop reassured her with a quick kiss that said a great deal of the kind of uncomplicated man (as far as Maxie was concerned) Cooper Barrett was. "Nothing is coming between us." He leaned down and kissed her again gently, kindly and delicately soft, as if she was the most beautiful, perfect thing in the world.

Maxie tried to smile for his benefit, figuring that there was more than one way to handle something. Harping to Coop about it wasn't going to solve the situation. And she couldn't risk letting Mac know about her and Coop; knowing her father, he'd kick Coop off the force just to make a point where his daughters are concerned. Which leaves her with very little options. The door opening without preamble interrupted whatever else Maxie was going to say to Cooper and she gave the interruption a dark look of displeasure for it.

Logan smiled smugly and nodded his greeting to his buddy. "Got any spare clips for a 9mm?"

Cooper shook his head quickly. "Nothing you can take. The departments wants an account of all bullets."

Shrugging without concern, Logan leaned against the far wall and watched Cooper check himself in the mirror. "Mrs. Corinthos isn't going to care what you look like as long as you can shoot straight. And Lulu's not going to be awake long enough to appreciate it."

Rolling his eyes, especially when Maxie growled something unintelligible under her breath, "I am representing the PCPD; looking presentable is part of the job. And I will be stationed outside the door. My job is to make sure she doesn't go anywhere without someone watching her back."

Smirking with lascivious thoughts, Logan replied, "I wouldn't mind watching that girl's backside."

Coop rolled his eyes again and kissed Maxie quickly good-bye. "I've got to go."

"Will you be back tonight?" Maxie asked quickly, following him out. There was no point in staying in the little room if Coop wasn't around to entertain her.

"Maybe," Cooper answered, shoving Logan out the door. "Depending on what your dad has in mind for me. I'm suppose to be there pretty consistently but who knows. If Mrs. Corinthos pushes the issue of not wanting the police around, I'm not sure what good my presence is going to do."

"Carly likes you," Maxie said with gritted teeth. "She's definitely going to let you hang around her precious Lulu."

"What is up with you and that girl?" Logan asked with an amused frowned. There really was nothing more entertaining than a good catfight. Not that Lulu is in any shape at the moment to go at it with Maxie Jones but he could definitely see the possibilities.

Maxie gave Logan an look of extreme annoyance before turning to Cooper again. "Be careful."

"I will," Coop assured her and left, giving Georgie behind the counter a quick wave good bye.

Logan watched his friend leave and shook his head. "The man really has no idea what kind of a girl you really are, does he?"

Since replying to that would be giving Logan exactly what he wanted, Maxie went over to the counter and helped herself to coffee, dropping money behind the counter for Georgie. "You can go now."

"I think I rather like it here," Logan said, propping one hip onto the stool next to her with a smile that was ridiculously smug for someone that was getting the evil eye from both Jones sisters at the moment.

"Why don't you leave my sister alone?" Georgie asked a little more forcefully then she had intended to. It never helps to insult a customer… or a potential one.

Max threw her sister a look. "I can handle this," she assured her.

When another couple walked in, Georgie gave them both a warning look then went to do her job with a huff. She didn't understand Maxie's need to always been in one drama after another. And by the looks of Logan Hayes, he was not one of those that live nice quiet little lives.

Studying Logan for a moment as the former military man poured coffee for himself, Maxie noted the confident way he seem to occupied the space around him. Logan wasn't the kind of man to wait around for things to happen; when he wanted something, he went after it with gusto. With his light eyes and sharp features, she could see how he may have developed that over inflated ego of his. Maxie's mind churned away at an idea that was very much closer to her heart that she wanted to admit. "Logan?"

"Yes?" he answered with a smile that was this side of dangerous.

Telling herself not to show how quickly her heart picked up the pace, Maxie gave him an inquiring and hopefully encouraging look. "How would you feel about a win-win situation?"

Something in Maxie's eyes alerted Logan to be cautious. Girls like her was bad news – even to bad boys like him. "What exactly are we talking about here?"

"A little proposition," Maxie informed him with a smile meant to be reassuring. "It's about Lulu…"

_(I'm going to let you all fill in the rest of this conversation from the canon episodes. Assume that Maxie and Logan made the same "you sleep with her and I'll sleep with you" deal.) _

-&-&-&-

"You guys really need to stop worrying," Lulu said with a sigh as Lucky tucked the sheets firmly around her then under the mattress, effectively trapping her in the bed. "I'm fine."

Lucky gave her a good frown for that piece of lie. "Right, that's why you were in the hospital twice in three days. Yeah… I'll swallow that when the cows come home."

Grumbling something dark and unintelligible, Lulu scooted down in the bed and crossed her arm over the comforter draped around her in a very teenage display of displeasure. Lucky grinned in response, glad that she was at least feeling well enough to be a brat about things. He had no doubt that there would be retribution for his treating her like a child, which he would gladly take if she'd just get better and keep out of trouble. These trips in and out of hospital was costing Lucky years off his life. As if his life wasn't complicated enough as it stands.

"Saw your bag in the car," Luke Spencer commented as he continued to watch his two kids interact in that very sibling kind of way… much like he and Bobbie did once upon a time. How long ago was that? "I take it you're still at Jake's?"

"Where else would I be?" Lucky asked, a little confused as to why his father would be asking such a silly question. Luke had been the one to help him move into the room above the bar after he had declined the invitation to move into the Quartermaines.

"How about the Metro Court?" Carly suggested, coming in with two bottles of water for the Spencer men and a glass for Lulu. "Medication time!" she said with a great deal of enthusiasm to Lulu's groan. "None of that," she admonished, pressing the three pills into Lulu's hand and then turned to Lucky again. "I can have them set up my personal suite for you."

Surprised by the unexpected offer, Lucky didn't know what to say for a moment. He and Carly were on better terms now but this? This was literally came out of the left field… and Lucky's face clearly showed it.

"Don't look so shocked," Carly snapped irritably, "I'm not offering out of the kindness of my heart. Lulu worries about you living over a bar where the bad elements hang out."

Lulu choked on her water.

Luke frowned and pointed out, "You hang out there."

"Exactly," Carly stated quite logically, "So I know what I'm talking about." She fixed Lucky with a kind of exasperated look. "Putting you in the Metro Court would be one less thing for Lulu to get all worked up about," she concluded very reasonably as she reached for the phone. Her eyes met Lulu's for a brief second, which was more than enough for Lulu to convey her gratitude. Carly winked at her in kind.

"That's very nice of you, Carly," Lucky said grabbing the phone out of her hand, "But I don't take charity."

"Who said anything about charity?" Carly scoffed; she was extremely good at this game and she was just getting warmed up. And Carly almost always gets what Carly wants. "Having a police officer living there could only add to my security profile; which has been shot to hell by that _lovely_ hostage situation. Really, whoever said that bad publicity is better than no publicity really needs to be dunked in a tank," she made a disgruntled face. Business hasn't been the same since that whole disaster went down but that was neither here nor there. "Now…"

"Carly…" Lucky started again.

She rolled right over him. "I'm not giving you a free ride, mind you; I expect you to do a little something around there as well. Just little security things here and there, night shift of course. I'm sure you want to your days for the real police stuff… and then there's that little short munchkin call Cameron you might want to check up on every once in a while. Plus I want to make sure that Max has his nights off for whatever the hell it is that he _still_ does for Sonny on a regular basis," she rolled her eyes, shook her head and picked up the phone. "Which he tries to hide from me, like I wouldn't find out about it sooner or later; men!"

Reaching over when Lucky made to stop Carly again, Luke shook his head sagely at his son. "Don't bother. When they're on a roll, just roll with it or be prepare to be mowed down. It's like trying to stop a tidal wave."

Lucky smirked at that little piece of wisdom. "Women in general or Spencers in specifics?"

Luke shrugged. "I'm willing to be optimistic and say women in general."

"I heard that," Lulu said loudly, half listening to Carly order people around with the kind of details that most wouldn't even think about. Carly was totally in her elements now. "And Carly is right, it's better for you to stay at Metro Court. It's closer to me if I need you."

With that little piece of logic thrown in here, Lucky didn't really have very many choices. When Carly turned to address him again, he said a very simple, "Thank you," to which she totally blew off with a quick careless wave of her perfectly manicure hand and instructed him on who to see and what to expect when he got there. Her litany would have continued had Lucky's phone hadn't rang, saving his poor brain from an implosion. "Spencer," he answered quickly, drawing away from an miffed Carly. His cousin was really quite a piece of work.

"Yo partner," Cruz Rodriguez greeted with his usual cheery tone. "We just picked up a new case: homicide. Commish wants us west side, pronto."

"You're timing couldn't be better," Lucky muttered into the phone and grabbed his notepad from inside his jacket. "Give me the address."

Cruz quickly rattled off the location in an impatient manner. "Meet you there in fifteen?"

"Last one there buys the coffee," Lucky challenged.

"Right," Cruz laughed and hung up.

Turning back, Lulu greeted him with a wave while Carly looked extremely put out. "I've got to go. Duty calls."

"Of course," Carly rolled her eyes. "Don't forget to talk to Don when you check in tonight."

"Okay, okay, I will," Lucky replied with fond reluctance then kissed his sister's forehead. "Behave."

"Always," Lulu chirped with a mock grin.

"I'll see you later, Dad," Lucky said with a wave.

"I'll leave with you," Luke said getting up to kiss his daughter goodbye. "You mind your manners, Princess. And no more trips to the hospital, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Lulu said with a suspiciously docile smile as her father paused to look at her a moment longer, his eyes gently soft with love and concern as only a father could display. Lulu was growing more and more like Laura every day, the kid trusted too easily; and nothing could scare him worse.

Luke pushed back fears that he didn't think he ever would have felt and turned to Carly. "Take care of my little girl, Caroline," he instructed firmly.

Carly waved him off with a roll of her eyes when the doorbell rang. Startled for a moment, then she remembered who they were suppose to be expecting, "That must be Lulu's new watchdog."

"One of Mac's?" Luke asked reaching the door.

"Yep," Carly replied with a grin as she sat down with Lulu again. "Let him in and send him up, will you?"

"Sure," Luke answered and jogged down to catch his son. "What do you know about this guy that Mac's got watching your sister?"

"He's good," Lucky said distractedly, "And he's got military training. Lulu will be in good hands."

"Um…" Luke patted Lucky on the shoulder and ushered him out the door, ignoring Cooper's startled presence. "I'll see you soon, son."

"Take it easy, Dad," Lucky said heading for his car in a hurry; Rodriguez gets the best Columbian coffees. He offered Cooper Barrett a sympathetic look as he passed. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that his father wasn't about to leave until he's had a few words with Barrett.

Luke smile wide at the young man and motioned him into his niece's home. "We didn't meet yesterday. I'm Lucas Lorenzo Spencer; Lulu's dad."

"I know, sir," Cooper replied specifically. He didn't add that he's heard enough stories around the station to warn him to be wary of the guy.

"Good," Luke said tilting his chin toward the stairs. "Then let me not waste your time and mine by going over some very simple rules when it comes to my little girl. A) You don't touch her unless it's to save her life. Which I suppose you did but that's neither here nor there. B) I will hunt you down and make it look like an accident if you let anything happen to her, intentionally or unintentionally. Your life is literally in your hands from this moment on. C) Lulu is a great deal like me; she'll bury you if you cross her and hers. Watch your p's and q's around her, you get me?" He said it all with a smile that was this side of friendly and two shades more deadly than anything else Cooper has ever seen.

A quick chill of dread sliced down Cooper's spine. He heard about Mr. Spencer's stand-off with One the night of the Metro Court job. Spencer Sr.'s devotion to his family wasn't to be questioned and if he said he'd make someone disappear to protect his own, he would. Cooper nodded his head slowly. "Got it."

Luke's smile got wider, "I'm glad we understand each other," patting the young man on the back before going to the door. "Oh, one more thing," turning just before he reached the exit, "If Ric Lansing sent you, tell him he's in an idiot. If Mac Scorpio sent you, tell he's wasting his time. You're not going to find anything here." Pulling open the door, he left.

Standing here, Cooper gave himself another minute to gather his nerves before turning to the stairs.

Carly Corinthos stood there watching him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Uncle Luke sure has a way with words, doesn't he?" She smiled with that same exactly 'don't mess with me' smile Luke just walked away with. "Just you remember what he said about Lulu."

"I will, madam," Coop said respectfully. Mrs. Corinthos was not someone he wanted to mess with. There's enough stories about her floating around the station to make him very cautious.

"See that you do," Carly gave him a tight smile. "Or Uncle Luke is going to be the least of your problems." With that little warning, she turned around and walked back up the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, Coop shook his head slowly. "Oh yeah, this is going to be real fun."

-&-&-&-

Cruz was waiting with cups of coffee when Lucky arrived at the scene. "You have lousy taste in coffee, my friend," he informed him before handing over the fortification with a quick grin. "How's your sister?"

"How'd you know that's where I was?" Lucky asked, thankful for the caffeine.

"Where else would you be but checking on her?" Cruz replied with a grin as he lifted yellow barricade tapes and reframed from asking if Lucky thought him stupid enough to ask about Elizabeth instead. The sister is definitely a safer topic. There were moments when Cruz worried about Lucky's home life and what it was doing to him on the job. But so far, his partner seemed solid. "So how is the little spit-fire?"

Lucky raised a brow at his partner's description of his sister. "Doing better; much better. Wouldn't surprise me if she decided to forgo some of that ordered rest to be up and about soon."

"Gun shot wounds are dangerous," Cruz warned, talking from experience, "Tell her to take care."

Nodding his head in agreement, "I will," then pointed to the entrance of the slightly unsavory motel, "You seen it yet?"

"Yeah," Rodriguez answered grimly as he pushed past several green-faced rookies. "And it's not a pretty sight."

"How bad?" Lucky asked as he pulled powdered latex gloves from a nearby box, covering his hands quickly without spilling his brown nectar of the gods.

"_Real_ bad," Cruz said just as two guys with cameras walked by them. "Get some air guys," correctly reading the sickened looks on the two crime-scene photographers' faces, "We'll need a moment in here."

"Don't touch anything," one of the guys warned, "We're not done in there yet."

Cruz nodded and ushered Lucky into the room that smelled heavily of death now. Even having braced himself for a second viewing, Cruz still had to resist the urge to turn away.

Lucky's face was impassive as he stared in silent horror.

The three walls of the motel room were sprayed with blood, or what appeared to be blood (he wasn't going to jump to conclusions). Long trails of it covered the walls from ceiling to the dirty carpets on the floor. The bed had been torn from the frame, thrown to one side as if used as a shield. Four bodies were posed in various positions facing away from each other, as if they had all been trying to escape what they knew were going to be the means of their demise; their own companions. Surprisingly, none of them wore the death masks of pain. Six guns were littered around the bodies, each as deadly as they was illegal, silencers on all. The walls were riddles with holes that one had to look beyond the blood to see.

"Collateral damage?" Lucky asked fearfully, looking at the two walls that were adjoined to other rooms.

"Surprisingly," Cruz said with a shake of his head as he picked his way around the bodies, "None. This is an old building, most of these walls are concrete reinforced. Small favors. We'll get plenty of slugs to match for ID."

"Windows are open," Lucky observed, thankful for the cool breeze.

"A little questionable," his partner replied.

"How come?"

"It's like fifty degrees outside, Spencer," Cruz pointed out with a frown. "Who the hell opens their windows in this kind of weather?"

Lucky didn't mention that he did, mostly so he could concentrate more on his chattering teeth and not the turmoil in his life. But Cruz was right, nobody leaves their windows open these days, the weather didn't permit it.

"Hey Spencer," Cruz said quietly, his eyes obviously troubled.

"What?" not exactly thrilled with the prospects of more surprises.

"This is just the first room."

Shocked, "There's more?"

"Two rooms down," nudging his chin toward the west. Cruz didn't want to tell him that the other one looked even worse. Those guys didn't go nearly as easy as the ones in this room. "One other thing…"

"What?" Lucky asked, already dreading the response.

"I could be mistaken but the guns on these guys," Cruz said quickly, the toes of his shoes pointing and almost touching the blood spattered weapon on the floor, "They're the same kind use to shoot at your sister."

"These are our gunmen?"

"Maybe."

Lucky looked around the room again, his stomach rolling at the sight of the gruesome bodies riddled with bullets. This was bad, this was worse than bad. "So who killed our would-be killers?"

_To be continued…_

Well, obviously you all know the answer to that last question already. So not much of a mystery here. What do you think so far? Comments are always welcomed.


	8. Surprises Least Expected

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful think, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it were, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Cooper gets to know Lulu, Liz asks for help from an unlikely source, Skye gets a visit and Enrico gets an unpleasant surprise.

**Timeline**: Way off canon now and probably glad of it. (sigh)

**Author's Note**: I'm way behind on my soaps lately, busy schedule and all. But I know that I'm a little creeped out by the whole Jason/Liz direction that the writers on the show is taking. Really, there are just some couples that shouldn't be… like Sonny/Emily. I can handle the friendship but anything more is just wrong. Does anyone remember when Liz just hit town as a mere fifteen-year-old? That was when Jason first took over the mob. Oye… that's just too much for me. (shudder)

Okay, I'm working diligently on the story and I think I know where I'm going with at least three of the characters that I'm messing around with. No, you're not getting any clues from me but I've already dropped plenty of hints so… pay attention. Now, enjoy!

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

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Chapter 8 – Surprises Least Expected

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**_- 5 Days Later-_

Coop looked up as the subject of his assignment stretched slowly under the sheets and comforter. After the second day, he got the routine down. Every morning at seven, when he was dressed and ready, Mrs. Corinthos would give him coffee, several magazines of a variety of subjects along with the latest best-seller paperbacks and set him in a comfy armchair in Ms. Spencer's room. While he was allowed to be in Lulu's room during the day, she refused to let him bunk down by her bed at night as the commissioner would have him do. Carly, as she insisted he call her, thought it improper. (Lulu nearly burst a stitch laughing at that.)

He had chosen a location near enough to Leslie Lu Spencer to pull her out of harms way and still be able to cover the rest of the entrances and exits to the room. After reading three articles in the guns and ammo magazine (he had spent a good ten minutes wondering why Mrs. Corinthos would keep such a thing around a house full of kids then dismissed it as none of his business), Coop had spent a considerable part of the last hour studying his subject, it was a habit he'd developed after the first day – a habit he didn't find particularly unpleasant.

From his files, Cooper knew that Lulu Spencer was eighteen years of age (just weeks short of nineteen), had blond hair, blue eyes and was five feet three inches. With no criminal records, not even juvie records, she was associated with a strangely tough crowd which included Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos. She was an average college student with all the potentials of a grade A mind. From the conversations he's had with her between her naps, Coop knew her to be intelligent, kind, short-tempered and had a rather warped sense of humor. Oh… and she hated Maxie, with good reasons. He and Lulu had politely agreed to disagree on the subject of Maxie Jones and left it at that.

"Aren't you tired of just sitting here?" Lulu asked sleepily as she turned her head and brushed stray hair from her face.

"Aren't you tired of just laying there all day?" Coop countered with an easy smile as he got up and poured her a glass of water.

"Of course I am. And you don't have to do that, you know," she pointed out as she accepted the glass and the pills he handed her gratefully. "You're not my nurse maid."

"I know," he answered simply and sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling? You look a little on the pale side."

"I _am_ pale because I've been stuck indoors," Lulu answered with a grin and twisted around to set the glass on the nightstand. "And I'm doing a lot better now, thank you."

"Easy now," he replied and helped her up. When Lulu headed to her bedroom door rather than that bathroom like he thought she would do, "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs, I'm sick of staring at these four walls. Not that you're not good company or anything like that but if I stay in this room much longer, I'll go crazy," she smiled good naturedly and headed out the door.

"Lulu," Coop hurried to catch up to her. "Carly will kill me if you take a fall or something."

"Relax, Coop," Lulu said cheerfully as she made her way to the stairs. Carly generally kept extremely good ice cream in the freezer – for emergencies of course. "Anyone ever tell you that you're kind of a boy scout?" She took a breath and grab the rails. It still hurt to move her body too much but she was going to start growing mold if she didn't start moving again.

"You and Logan… all the time," Coop answered with a shake of his head. Short of dragging her bodily back to her bed, he didn't have much choice but to follow her. Taking her elbow, "Easy now."

"Stop saying that please," Lulu said breathing through her nose as each step sent a painful jab through her side, "I always feel vaguely like a horse when you do that."

Reframing from commenting, Cooper patiently saw her down the stairs and followed her to the kitchen. When she struggled with the heavy refrigerator door, he finally gave into his nature, "Are you hungry? Can I make you something?"

"Relax, Boy Scout," she smiled over her shoulder at him. "I'm just craving some ice cream. Sit down, listen for the front door. I don't want Carly freaking out if she comes home and finds the bed empty."

"So wouldn't it be a better idea if you just go back to bed?" Coop asked as he reached around her and pull out the ice cream for her.

"I'm so sick of that room," Lulu complained as she searched the many drawers around the kitchen island for the ice cream scooper. "Aren't you the least bit bored?" She grinned suddenly and held up a scooper in the shape of a clown. "I'm mean, we've pretty much exhausted most topics of conversation that's normal and safe. And you have to be missing Maxie by now…"

"I thought we agreed not to discuss Maxie."

"We're not discussing _her_ in particular," Lulu replied as she reached for bowls then having to hiss with pain when she bent to get them. "Jeeze, sensitive much? I'm just saying that you ought to be bored of my company by now. Why don't you call up your people and tell them that you need a day off or something. I doubt Mac could deny you at least a couple of hours of freedom."

"I'm doing my job, Lulu," he replied watching her for a moment then giving up trying to ignore his chivalrous side and gently elbowed her away from the counter. Really, what's the use of having a guy around if girls insisted on doing everything themselves? "And this job is important to me."

"I can see that." She tilted her head and observed him a little more carefully. "The question is why? You never really answered that question."

Coop's hand paused for a second. "I have my reasons." He didn't need to go into details about redemption and atonement and how Sonny Corinthos would make sure he disappears without a trace if he didn't do this. The last few days in Carly Corinthos's house had shown him a great deal as to why Corinthos's people were so loyal to him. The man takes care of his own. And he honestly didn't want to incur anyone's wrath should his involvement in the Metro Court holdup come to light.

"Must be the whole boy scout thing," Lulu shrugged then went in search of toppings.

Grinning, Coop shook his head and continued to scoop out ice cream. A click grabbed his attention suddenly and had him dropping the frozen dessert. His gun was in his hand within a blink of an eye when the back door suddenly opened.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Lucky asked sternly from the doorway.

"Busted," Cooper muttered under his breath as he holstered his weapon slowly. "Good afternoon, Detective."

"Hey," Lucky nodded his head to Coop then was nudged aside by something small, cute and eager.

"AUNT LULU!!!" Cameron cannonballed into the room behind his father and launched himself at Lulu's legs, throwing the weight of compact little body into the hug.

Not having enough time to brace herself, Lulu just barely managed not to howl in pain at the sudden movement and probably would have fallen on her butt had Coop's hand not been there to grab her quickly. She took a deep breath and pushed the pain away as she ruffled the caramel curls on her nephew's head, currently resting contently against her thigh. She gave Cooper a grateful thanks with her eyes for saving her.

"Cam," Lucky admonished gently, "What did I say about Aunt Lulu being hurt? You can't be doing that, buddy."

"It's okay, Lucky," Lulu said, biting down on her lip for a moment as she detached Cameron from her leg and bent to give him a proper hug. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

Cameron planted a sloppy kiss on Lulu's cheek and started to rattle off about everything and anything in his disjointed baby talk. Lulu nodded and hummed at all the appropriate places as she slowly led Cameron into the dining room, picking up a bowl of ice cream as she went. She winked at the two officers in the room just before she left them to their own devises. Coop was quick to keep the swinging door open so he could keep an eye on Lulu.

"Relax," Lucky said quietly as he watched his sister with his son, their combined laughter relaxing him a little. He had purposely chose not to take Cameron to the Metro Court, hoping a day in the park and a visit with Lulu will ease the boy's clingy fears; he knew that it was a temporary bandage to the growing wound his absence had created but it was all he could do for now. "I had to get pass like thirty guards from the gate to the house and that's not counting the ones patrolling outside the walls. This place is virtually unassailable."

"_Virtually_ unassailable," Cooper replied seriously, "but not impossible. And someone determine enough can always find a way to get through."

Lucky looked at him sideways. "I wouldn't have taken you for a pessimist."

"I'm not," Coop answered with a sigh. "I'm a pragmatist ," then looked at Lucky with strangely aged eyes. "And, with due respect sir, you don't know me well enough to really know what kind of person I am."

With a nod of acknowledgement, Lucky let that go. "How's my sister doing?"

Coop suddenly smiled with a little more warmth than he ought to, "She's…" picking his words carefully, "She's something else."

That wrung a laugh from Lucky, "That's a nice way of putting it."

"No," the younger man shook his head, "I mean, she's something special. This weird bundle of contradiction that should be annoying but she's not. Someone's out to hurt her, maybe even kill her, and she should be scared out of her mind but mostly she's pissed because she's stuck in bed. Mrs. Corinthos caters to her every whim and Lulu just wants a couple of minutes to talk. She can pretty much have anything in the world by just asking for it and all she wants is to see her mother. She thinks so little of herself despite the fact that everyone around her thinks the world of her." He laughed weakly, suddenly at little uncomfortable, as if he had revealed a little more than he had intended to. "I can see why all those guys are fighting over her."

Silently, Lucky regarded the man with a serious look and sighed with some regret; he rather liked Cooper Barrett. "I'm not going to have to warn you off, am I?"

Coop gave a strange little laugh, "No. I can admire your sister without the urge to want to become more than just a friend."

"Good," Lucky said and clapped a hand on the young man's shoulder, squeezing just a tad too hard to be comfortable. "'Cause Dad would probably have a thing or two to say about it if you couldn't."

"HEY!" Lulu yelled from the other room. "What are you two yapping about over there? Bring the ice cream!"

Lucky grinned, rolled his eyes and indicated with one arm for Coop to proceed him. "Her Highness bellows."

Unable to help himself, Coop laughed.

-&-&-&-

Liz gave an involuntary shudder as she navigated through the crowded lobby of the Metro Court. Just being here brought memories she would just as soon never recall. All hell brought loose here that day and her life has been in a tailspin since. Would her secret have come out had she not been in that elevator with Jason? If she had been the only one with the knowledge, would her baby's paternity ever be an issue? She had Lucky, she had Cameron, she had her baby, she had her family, she had everything she's ever wanted in her life. Everything went wrong after that day. And now…

_"No, I'm not going to give up!"_ With that thought firmly in mind, she approached the front desk and was almost there when Maxie Jones appeared out of nowhere. Coming to a halt, Liz regarded the young woman with distaste.

Maxie, in turn, turned raised a brow of exasperation at her. "Is there anywhere in this town where I'm _not_ going to run into you?"

It would be so easy for Elizabeth to counter with something nasty in return but she was tired of fighting with Maxie these days. She had better things to do with her life right now then stoop to the girl's level. Rolling her eyes, Liz moved around her.

"He's not here," Maxie stated without turning, a smirk alighting her face.

That snapped her around; Liz narrowed her eyes. "Are you _spying_ on my husband?"

"Soon to be ex husband," she corrected with a smile that was just a tad too smug, "And not that I need to. Unlike you, I actually have a reason to be here."

"And how long will it be before you mess that up too?" Liz wondered out loud. Okay, so she wasn't above pettiness; she was only human after all and Maxie Jones brought out so much angry in her. Liz hadn't forgotten who torpedoed her life. "Because we all know how good you are at being a complete screw up."

"Says the woman that tried to pass off another man's child as her husband's ," Maxie countered angrily. She didn't want to admit it but Liz's mark hit just a little closer to home than she'd like. If Coop ever found out about her deal with Logan… She missed Coop and hated the idea that every minute he was away from her was spent with Lulu Spencer. "Saint Elizabeth lied to her husband after making him crawl through broken glass. How hypocritical can you possibly…"

"At least I didn't make up a miscarriage to keep a man that didn't want me near," Liz replied contemptuously. "My god, you let Lucky mourn a child that wasn't even real."

"Well I guess in _that_ you are both very alike," Carly announced as she came upon a scene she didn't particularly care for. With her fists planted on her hips and a frown for her least-liked people in the world, she regarded them with a bored and put upon expression. "After all, you both made up children that were to be Lucky's and then snatched it away just as he was getting excited about fatherhood, crushing his soul in the process. Congratulations ladies, I hope you're both real proud."

Maxie's mouth worked a couple of times but nothing came out.

Liz was tempted for a moment to remind Carly about AJ and Carly's own unsavory past when it came to the paternity game but decided that pissing her off would be a bad idea, especially when she was here to swallow her pride and ask for a favor.

"Don't you have work to do?" Carly asked Maxie pointedly.

Nodding her head and shooting Elizabeth a furious glance, Maxie scurried away to lick her wounds. She was no match for Carly and she knew it well.

"If she wasn't so good at her job," Carly muttered with a shake of her head and looked at Liz. "And you are here because?" She had already made up her mind to stop Elizabeth from going up to see Lucky… if Lucky was even in. Carly had spend all morning arguing with Jax about the wisdom of leaving town, yet again, to track down that wayward, danger-seeking brother of his. She had meant to stop by Lucky's suite and see how her cousin was doing but the time just got away from her.

"I…" she looked around the bustling lobby. "Is there anyway we can speak in private?"

"Not really," Carly replied a little more sharply than she had meant to but she was tired and worried and the last thing she wanted to do was deal with Elizabeth.

She already knew that Carly wasn't going to make this easy for her so Elizabeth struggled to move on. "Look, I know that you and I aren't the best of friends…"

"We're not friends at all."

"But we are, at the moment, family and I need your help."

"Of which I am disinclined to give you," Carly said with a smile.

Elizabeth stared at Carly for a moment, anger alighting her eyes.

Carly wasn't going to let Little Miss Elizabeth play false martyr with her; she's had enough of that to last her a lifetime. "You lied to my cousin. You lied to Jason. I have never heard the end of it from you about how much of a bad person I am for lying. Do not for a moment think that I'm going forget that. So don't stand there and act all offended when I tell you that I don't feel particularly sympathetic right now to your pains."

Taking a deep breath, "Fine, I can accept that."

"Good," turning to walk away.

"But I'd still like you to hear me out," Elizabeth continued with a quick hand at on Carly's arm to stop her from leaving, "if not for my sake than for my child's." If there was one good thing about Carly it was that she genuinely loved her children.

"Do _not _play that card with me," Carly warned.

"I want my husband back," Liz stated quickly now that she's got Carly's attention again. "I want my family back. Yes, I get it that Jason wants to be part of this baby's life but I want Lucky to be its father. Lucky would make a terrific father to my child."

"So would Jason," Carly countered.

"Yes, and he can share that responsibly with Lucky; just like Jason and Sonny share Michael," Liz pulled the analogy that she knew would get to Carly. "I don't want my baby being used as some kind of tool in Jason's world. My child would get a stable home with me and Lucky and Jason can visit whenever he wants."

Carly shook her head, not sure where Liz was going with all this. "What do you want?"

"I want you to help me get my husband back," Liz stated simply.

"No can do," was the quick reply. "I'm _not_ going to be responsible for opening up a wound that deep."

"I'm not asking you to manipulate or lie to Lucky," Liz said quickly. "I just need to you help me provide an opportunity to get my husband alone so he can hear me out." When Carly said nothing to this. "If I can get my husband back home, you wouldn't have to be so concerned about him. I know he's here because you moved him here to keep an eye on him for Lulu's sake. I can do that for him at home: our home . And you won't have to worry about me running to Jason all the time either," she pointed out knowing that Jason's presence in Liz's life was a point of contention for Carly. "I wouldn't be in your way."

"You weren't ever in the way of Jason and me," Carly replied calmly, a little offended that Liz would be so arrogant as to think that she was _that_ important. "And for the record, the kind of relationship that Jason and I have can't be touched."

Liz believed that. She genuinely believed that what Jason and Carly had was special; lord knows it had to be to survive Carly's impulsively crazy nature. But Carly was right, Liz couldn't ever see Jason walking away from Carly. "I just want a chance, an opportunity, to make this right with Lucky."

Raising a brow with reluctant admiration for Liz's tenacity, Carly sighed. "What kind of opportunity?"

Hope rose in Elizabeth and she smiled. _"This could work. I could get my husband back."_ Pointing to the side door from the lobby, "Can we discuss this in your office?"

Carly hesitated a moment then glanced at the soft swell of Liz's belly. A child should have a home. With resignation and some concerns, she nodded. "Come on, you've got ten minutes," and led the way.

-&-&-&-

"And where exactly is your partner?" Daniel Reid asked as he pined his detective's badge to his lapel. "'Cause, you know, I've got cases of my own to handle."

"He's spending a little time with his kid," Cruz Rodriguez replied with his usual affable grin. "Come on Reid, you know how it's been for Spencer lately. He's finally got a day off and he wanted to spend it with his son and kid sister. Give him a break."

"Yeah, yeah," Reid muttered but agreed with Rodriguez. The whole damn town knew about Spencer's family troubles. And there's been rumbles around the squad room about Spencer's bad habit coming back now that he no longer has that family support he desperately needed to kick his addiction; but so far, the young detective has been staying clean and keeping it real. If he needs a couple of hours away from the job to spend with what was left of his family, Danny don't mind covering an interview for him. "Let's get this over with."

Skye Chandler Quartermaine looked up as the two detectives were ushered into the room. "Gentlemen," she rose from her seat and went to the side bar, "What can we do for you today?"

"We were hoping to talk to your…" Rodriguez faltered a moment. He simply didn't know what to call him.

"Lorenzo is indisposed," Skye replied easily and regarded the good detectives of the PCPD with a cool look sheer indulgence. "Perhaps there is something I can do you for you?"

"Perhaps," Rodriguez opened his notepad and glanced briefly at his backup partner. "As you are well aware of by now, there was a shooting in front of Jason Morgan's penthouse several days ago at which time Lesley Lu Spencer had been wounded."

"Yes," Skye said unperturbedly. "How is Lulu?"

"She's healing but it's going to take some time until she's back on her feet again," Cruz replied curtly with an indulgent smile of his own well aware of Skye Quartermaine's relationship with Lulu's father. "Do you have any comments in regards to the shooting?"

"None, I'm afraid," Skye answered, making a mental note to check in with Luke soon.

Cruz nodded his head. "A few days after the incident, we found several men carrying Venezuelan ID's on the lower west side, by the waterfront, dead. They all appear to have been victims of a murder suicide; seven murders and one suicide."

It took all of Skye's self-control to not react. Eight people were dead now and Lulu could have easily been the ninth. _"My god, what the hell has been happening?"_

"Do you have anything you'd like to tell us, Ms. Quartermaine?" Reid asked quietly, gently, as if trying to coax a traumatized child to speak.

"Skye," Lorenzo called out from the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane, a frown deep on his face. "I didn't know we had guests." He forced himself to smile and took a quick curious glance to his side but hobbled into the room nevertheless.

"The detectives," Skye said coming to his side, her voice only just betraying her nervousness over this whole situation, "were just here to ask if we knew about the death of a couple of Venezuelans in Port Charles," she looked him in the eye, trying to see something there, something to convince her that she did not bring her child into the home of a cold-blooded killer.

Lorenzo's dark eyes were steady as he regarded the police with an indulgent and understanding smile, "No doubt because of my former business transactions in that country."

"That had crossed our minds," Cruz Rodriguez replied with a nod as he continued to watch the 'crippled' Lorenzo Alcazar with assessing eyes. Lucky had expressed some doubts in the passing regarding Alcazar's 'condition' from that head would and he could now see why. Those eyes were too sharp for Cruz to completely believe in the mobster's ineffectual façade.

"I'm afraid I cannot be of any assistance," came the easy answer. Lorenzo moved to the chair by the front room desk and sighed as he sat. While he really didn't need the cane anymore and could probably walk as well as before, his knees did ache on occasion when he's put too much stress upon it. "I have not had business contacts there for some time now; in fact, I have not been maintaining my business at all. I have taken this time and opportunity to heal my wounds and raise my child." He turned to look at Skye, a fond smile gracing his face. "I have been given a second chance, gentlemen; one that I will not forfeit anytime soon."

"So you don't know about any former or current 'business' partners in town?" Rodriguez asked carefully, watching for any tale tell signs of deception.

"No," Lorenzo replied simply and gave the officer a serene smile. "I'm sorry that I cannot be of more assistance to you."

"Well then," Reid glanced at Cruz who nodded in return, "Thank you for taking the time to speak with you. Many wishes for your speedy recovery."

Cruz bowed his head slightly and added, "If you can think of anything else, anything at all to help us solve this rather unusual case," he withdrew a card from his breast pocket and placed it on a nearby surface, "please don't hesitate to call."

"Of course," Skye replied with a tense smile as she followed the two detectives to the door. "I'll show you out."

"One last thing," Cruz added turning from the door once more to spear Alcazar with his dark eyes, "We've managed to match the slugs from the shooting outside of Jason Morgan's apartment to the guns the Venezuelans were carrying when we found dead in their motel rooms. Looks like we got our shooters for that case."

"That's wonderful news, detective," Lorenzo answered calmly, "I am certain that Ms. Spencer's family is very grateful for your expediency in solving _that_ particular case."

"I'm sure they are but we want to keep an eye out on Ms. Spencer a little while longer, at least until we've caught who killed her shooters, one can never been too careful after all," Cruz replied and glanced at the doorway on the opposite side of the room where Alcazar had made his appearance. He wasn't sure why, for there weren't any clues to offer him anything suspicious, but he had a feeling that Alcazar hadn't been alone when he came in. "And thank you again for taking the time to speak with us," he said to Skye as he pressed another card into her hand and looked at her sternly in the eye, "Call if you think of anything." There was a warning there and a promise given if she did call. Skye Quartermaine was there because she shared a child with the mobster but Cruz would bet his next year's pay check she'd leave in a heart beat for that same child's well being.

Skye forced her lips to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. She turned and looked at Lorenzo for a second, her doubt reflected there as she gazed at the man she said she'd share her life and child with. Before she could say anything she may regret, she turned and followed the two detectives to the door.

The unflappable calm exemplifying Lorenzo's attitude dropped the minute the door to the front room closed. "Enrico!" he called out sharply toward the side door.

Slipping into the room, Enrico glanced around quickly with a tension that didn't sit well on his shoulders. "They are gone, yes?"

"What was that?" Lorenzo asked in no uncertain terms. He's never seen his second in command react the way he had, ducking out of sight too quickly for Lorenzo to follow, when they had unexpectedly come upon the conferencing Skye and detectives.

"Personal, I'm afraid," Enrico said looking at the door that Skye and the PCPD detectives had exited.

"Do I need to be concerned?" Lorenzo asked, his face impossible to read but his eyes softened on his oldest friend.

"No," Enrico answered with a smile but without his usual good humor, "It will not interfere with business."

"I'm not concern about the business," Lorenzo replied with a quick frown. "Though I would like to you make sure that PCPD's latest case cannot be tied back to me."

"It will not be," he assured him, "The Santos doesn't make careless mistakes."

Nodding his head slowly, Lorenzo considered his next step carefully. "Any word on Morales's reaction?"

The twinkle made its way back into Enrico's eyes. "The _General_ was…" he smirked suddenly, "not pleased."

"But he has received the message?"

"Most assuredly," Enrico replied.

"Good," Lorenzo watched the light played against the glass panes in the window. "All is quiet at Carly's?"

Raising a brow, Enrico nodded his head. "Yes, your former wife enjoys some peace for now. Morgan has her home secured very well. She is, however, currently not in agreement with her new fiancée."

That was news to cheer Lorenzo. "Carly and Jax are having problems already?" he smiled. "That's interesting…"

"Is it?" Enrico tilted his head and studied Lorenzo's amusement with concern. "Lorenzo…"

He waved away the question. "I am not so foolish," he assured his friend and turned to face him. "Now… are the Santos adequately provided for?"

"Of course," a little offended that it should even be questioned.

Lorenzo's eyes reflected his pleasure. He could also count on Enrico Rodriguez to get things done in the kind of efficient manner that one seldom sees these days. It's one of the reasons his old friend was so valuable to him. "It's good to have you by my side once more."

"It's been different down South without you," Enrico acknowledged with a grin. A speculative look entered his eyes, "Would you care to relocate the headquarters?"

"Perhaps," Lorenzo acknowledged with a smile. "But it is a question not to be discussed at the moment. Skye has not become accustom to my life quite yet. I do not want to disrupt hers any more for now."

Enrico agreed with a nod. "If you do not need me…"

He stood and smiled with a great deal of satisfaction. With Morales put in his place, Lorenzo could now concentrate on how best to deal with the business in Port Charles. But that can wait, "I believe I shall visit my daughter now." He paused at the door and turned to Enrico, "That personal business…"

Eyes sharpening, Enrico raised his brow in question.

"You will let me know if it becomes serious?"

"It will not."

It was not like Enrico to be so mysterious, at least not with him, but Lorenzo could merely nodded and let it go. Enrico will confide in him when he's ready or when he needs help though that was doubtful; after all, the man was extremely good at solving problems. In the meantime, he had his baby to see to… and possibly look into this disagreement between Carly and Jax. It was something worth exploring.

Enrico stayed in the front room after Lorenzo had taken his leave. He stood there a little longer after that, in fact, trying to consider his next move. _"This is not good."_ He had not been counting on seeing anyone from _la familia _while in Port Charles. _"This is not good at all."_

Taking a breath, Enrico told himself not to be concern. The chances of their crossing paths were less than likely, though… though those were chances he didn't like. Picking up the card left behind by Detective Cruz Rodriguez, Enrico sighed and prayed to his dear departed _mamá_ for guidance before glancing down at the name once more. "What the hell are you doing in Port Charles, little brother?"

_To be continued…._

**Author's Note 2**: Okay, by a show of hands, how many of you saw that last one coming? Come on, be honest now. I've always liked Detective Cruz Rodriguez and always thought that it would be nice if they utilized him a little more. They've had a lot of PCPD characters come and go, both good and bad guys, but they've never really had a fun one. Cruz is fun and he's a good match to Lucky. It doesn't hurt that he's cute too. Anyways, I want to be able to use him a little here. Hope no one minds…

Okay, feedback would be nice; let me know what you think.


	9. Unexpected

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful think, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it were, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Maxie see red, Liz makes plans, Skye passes along some information and Alcazar's enemy makes a move.

**Timeline**: Way off canon now and probably glad of it. (sigh)

**Author's Note**: While I'm enjoying the current storyline (with the exception of Kate and her eternal whining which matches surprisingly well with Sonny's overbearing attitude) I'm still going to try to continue this despite lack of interest now.

By the way, is it me or are they shoving the whole Lulu/Johnny pair up down our throats? I didn't really see any chemistry between the two actors, not the kind that exists between Lulu and Logan. What happened there?

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

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Chapter 9 - Unexpected

* * *

**

Standing outside the perimeter of Carly Corinthos home, Maxie Jones considered her next move. She hadn't meant to end up here, waiting to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend who was currently guarding her most hated person in the world. With so many dark-suited bodyguards patrolling, Maxie felt vaguely like she's stepped into a bad gangster movie. Unfortunately, unlike Hollywood version of the mob, a pretty smile and flirtatious nature isn't going to get her through those gates.

So preoccupied with her own thoughts, she didn't see the approaching car until it was literally on top of her. Turning around, she huffed her indignation as the window of Detective Cruz Rodriguez rolled down and he was grinning at her with amusement. "And what exactly are you doing?"

Resisting the urge to stomp her foot, Maxie considered the detective a moment and approached the car. "I wanted to see what all the fuss was about," she waved her hand around in a negligent manner. "Mac keeps muttering about dirtying the city and having to assign good cops of babysitter duties and such."

Cruz shook his head at the girl. On the one hand, he did understand Maxie Jones's anger and frustration with life; the girl's been in one tragedy after another. On the other hand, Cruz really couldn't condone her behavior, especially where his partner is concerned. "This isn't a good place for you to appease your curiosity, Maxie. People get hurt around the Corinthos."

"Even the guy that got assign to watch Lulu Spencer?"

The buzzing around the station was that Maxie didn't particular get along with Lucky's baby sister. "He'll be fine. He's a good enough shot and sharp enough guy to rub along fine."

Maxie pursed her lips in consideration. "What do you think of him?"

"Barrett?" Cruz considered the question a little. "He's a smart kid. He'll go far in the department if he plays his cards right. This assignment is mostly to get him through the paperwork and pull him from the training that he's probably bored with. He'll be out on the streets in no time."

"Is that better or worse than this assignment?" thinking that Jesse had been 'on the streets' when he had been killed.

"Probably safer," Cruz shook his head. "Which means he's going to be glad that the commish is pulling him from the assignment."

Surprised and delighted, "He's being pulled?"

Curious at the reaction he just got, Cruz answered carefully. "Yeah. We've got the shooters from the Morgan case, Lulu should be safe now. Can't really justify keeping an officer on a closed case like this." He glanced at the compound. "Besides, it's not like she's lacking in security."

"That's for sure," Maxie muttered as the both watched the closely guarded home.

As Cruz and Maxie watched, a black SUV pulled to the front of the house, two guards exiting the vehicle, one holding the door open. The front door opened a moment later and a struggling Lulu was carried out the door in Cooper Barrett's arms. While Coop was steadily ignoring the squirming bundle, Lulu was talking animatedly at him and making her points by poking him repeated in the shoulder. Shaking his head at the amused and waiting chauffeur, Coop carefully lowered Lulu into the back seat of the car, belted her securely, pushed her face back into the car and shut the door. With a resigned sigh, which elicited a laugh from the other guard, he went around the car and got in from the other side, only just avoiding getting kicked when he grabbed the ankle that shot out at him. When the two dark suit guards situated themselves in the car, the gates to Carly's home opened and they rolled out at a moderate speed, disappearing quietly down the road.

Maxie stood rigid with rage.

Cruz didn't pretend not to notice Maxie's reaction but filed it away in the back of his mind for later. He couldn't, however, ignore the fact that Cooper Barrett and Sonny Corinthos' men just left with his partner's angry baby sister. "Where the hell are they going?" putting his car into drive.

Without saying a word, Maxie opened the passenger door and hopped in. "Let's fine out."

"Maxie, the commission would have my badge…"

"So he's not going to find out," Maxie said easily and pointed to the rapidly disappearing car. "You're going to lose them if you don't hurry."

Torn between doing the right thing and… and doing the right thing, Cruz cursed in Spanish took off after the black gangster car rolling away with Lulu Spencer before reaching for his cell phone. Lucky would know what's going on; or if he didn't, he should.

-&-&-&-

Carly crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Elizabeth Webber-Spencer with a critical eye. "You've got to be kidding me, right? That's the lamest idea I've ever heard of."

Liz bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue with some difficulties and turned back to Carly again. "And what do you suggest?"

"How about not leaving a way out so wide open?" Carly asked sarcastically. "I mean seriously," pointing to the door, "he would have no problems just walking out the middle he gets here and sees this get up."

"And what would you suggest as a means of 'trapping' him?" Liz asked with a sigh. She didn't have to like it but she did have to admit that Carly was right in the respect that Lucky could easily walk away from her if she merely lured him into a ballroom with the intent of seducing him. Not that she'd have much luck as big as she was right now. That thought of allowing her near him remembering who's child she was carrying would probably propel Lucky out of the room faster than a speeding bullet.

"How about something not quite so obviously a setup?" rolling her eyes with exasperation.

"All I'm hearing from you is criticism and absolutely no help," Liz pointed out.

"I told you I wasn't going to help you rip him up again," Carly replied crossly. "So either find a way to do this right, cause you're only going to get this one chance, or don't bother."

Liz wanted to scream in frustration. "What about the basement?"

"What about it?"

"You have a room that I can lock behind me?"

Carly consider this a moment. "The furnace room," she admitted with some thought. "It locks behind you when you go in and you can only get out with a key."

That was a little bit of a surprise. "Seriously?"

"Security measures," Carly replied shaking her head slowly, wondering if she'd gone completely out of her mind to allow herself to be talked into helping out St. Elizabeth win her husband back. _"You know that world is coming to an end when Elizabeth and I are working together."_

"So… if I can get the key to it and be one step ahead of Lucky when he goes down there to do a check because…" she prompted Carly with a roll of her hand.

Carly sighed, "Because I saw someone suspicious looking around but lost him in the hallway. I think he may have gone down to the sublevels so, dear cousin of mine that's living in my hotel, can you please check it out for me?"

Elizabeth eyed her suspiciously, "Are you sure you can pull this off?"

Rolling her eyes, Carly shook her head and headed toward her office, "As you've pointed out many times before, I'm a consummate liar. No worries."

Liz watched Carly as she disappeared into her office and gently laid a hand on her swollen tummy. She glanced over her shoulder at the silent guard that had followed her from the house to the hospital and from the hospital to the Metro Court. He was a constant presence without being obtrusive to her life though she still bitterly resented his attendance and the reason behind it. _"God baby, if only you were really Lucky's child this would be a perfect world."_

-&-&-&-

Arranging the red roses carefully, Skye placed them by Alan's headstone with a sad fond smile for the man that accepted her when no one else would or could. "I miss you, Alan."

"I'm sure he misses you too, Red," Luke replied dryly, "Or at least he would be if he was still alive," he raised a brow at her and propped his hip against the marble. "Though if you talk to my wife, she'd still you he was still haunting her. What've you got for me?" he asked without any more niceties.

Skye stood slowly, a little weary and annoyed by Luke's attitude, "Nice to see you too, Luke."

Luke Spencer regarded the sad woman before him with a kind of critical eye he usually reserved for the gambling table. "What happened?"

Shrugging her shoulders in exasperated frustration, "Nothing, absolutely nothing." She turned and looked at Luke, "Has Lucky said anything more about the murder suicide near the northern port?"

"Nothing other than the initial stuff," Luke scratched his chin and thought about it again. "All I know is that someone killed the boys that tried to kill my baby girl. Not that I'm not grateful for it or anything, I just don't like being so in the dark about everything."

"Lorenzo has moved his right hand man into the house," Skye admitted with growing concern. When she had confronted Lorenzo about it, he had merely stated that he was a good friend of the family and will be staying with him for the time being. Enrico Rodriguez seemed like a nice enough, with a great deal of fondness for her baby girl, but there was something about the way the man watched ever detail around him that made her nervous. "And he's doubled the security on Lila Rae and me."

That wasn't what Luke wanted to hear. "He's expecting something?"

"I don't know," Skye replied with concern, "Lorenzo hasn't said anything since he told him that he's been feeling better and will be taking back control of the business. But the way he's been acting lately…" She shook her head. "He says it's a precaution but he won't explain what it's for."

"He's taking precautions?" Luke turned that thought over in his mind slowly, piecing together the puzzle of how this all came about. "Something's wrong. Something doesn't fit in all this."

"What do you mean?" Skye asked, her dark eyes deep with concern.

"There's another element at play here," Luke said quietly as he considered the next step. "Go back to Lorenzo and see if you can find out if any of his 'associates' have been around lately and see if any of them have been unhappy with whatever," he frowned. "But be careful. If it is what I think it is, you're in as much danger as anyone."

Skye turned the warning around in her head and nodded slowly. She didn't want to hear what Luke had to say about Lorenzo, not really. After all, Lorenzo is her child's father and he wouldn't… he couldn't… There was a lot of things she knew about the man but a great deal more she didn't. "All right," she turned and started to walk away but turned back, "How's Lulu?"

"Better," was the only answer given as Luke watched the streets beyond the gated cemetery with concern. The white van that passed by has done so three times now… well, at least he assumed it was the same white, nondescript van. He would hate to think he's become unnaturally paranoid in his old age. "Go home, Skye. And try not to ditch your guards anymore."

"How else was I suppose to meet you?" Skye asked archly as Luke walked her to the gates of the graveyard and toward her car.

"Find another way," Luke said when the van passed by once more. "And for god sakes, don't be wondering around…" The rest of Luke's warning was lost as the door to the van was thrown open and two semi-automatic weapons pointed their way. "Shit!" Luke grabbed Skye by the arm before she realized what was happening and dove beneath her waiting car just before the hail of bullets rained around them.

The high pitch scream was obscured by the sound of metal grinding against metal as bullets riddled the car with holes before the screeching tires peels away. The remaining silence after was deafening. Luke kept Skye down until he was certain it was safe and he crawled out from beneath the wreck cautiously, looking at the mayhem around them. "Well, that certainly answers one questions."

Shaking badly, Skye looked around her then stared at Luke. "What?"

"It wasn't your boyfriend."

-&-&-&-

Noah pulled the curtain aside with a loud shush and stared at the arguing pair before him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "And what seems to be the problem here?"

Lulu spared one last glare at Coop and stood up. "Well you please tell this ape that I'm fine!"

Coop glared right back at her and stood as well. "She took a fall coming down the stairs and started to bleed again."

"It's was like two steps," Lulu pointed out heatedly as she turned back at the overly zealous cadet.

"It was eight steps and you were bleeding," Coop said in that annoyingly reasonable tone of his. He didn't tell her how his heart had nearly stopped when she collapsed on the stairs and how her scream of pain had send tendrils of fear through his spine. He had a horrible flashback of the first time he brought her into the hospital, only this time he didn't have Logan there to help.

"It was not!" Lulu insisted.

"Okay, okay, settle down children," Noah said and patted the gurney. "Up here, Ms. Spencer. Let me have a look and I'll be the judge."

"It's nothing," Lulu replied but obeyed the doctor's orders. She knew she'd never hear the end of it from everyone if she didn't. Plus Coop looked more than ready to pick her up and put her there if she didn't move quickly enough to his liking. "It doesn't even hurt."

Clinching his teeth, Coop reframed from pointing out that things that didn't hurt don't make people cry. And she did cry despite her dogged insistance that she hadn't. "I think she blew some stitches. She won't let me look in the back but I know there's at least one open wound in her front."

"Okay, Dr. Feelgood," Lulu rolled her eyes. "You and the men in black want to wait outside?" pointing to the curtains. "I don't need an audience."

"I'm suppose to stay with you," Coop replied stiffly. He glanced behind him at the two silent guards for backup.

"That's all fine and good," Dr. Drake said as he pointed to the curtains, "But the patient wants you gone so you'll just have to wait outside."

Hesitating a moment, Coop wondered for a moment what he should do. But when Bruno and Alex (the two guards assigned to Lulu) moved out of the curtained area, Coop didn't have any choice but to follow suit. "I'll be right outside. You holler if…"

Lulu shook her head at him. "Fine, fine, fine…" and rolled her eyes. "Damn boy scouts."

Noah laughed.

Coop blushed and closed the curtains behind him with a sigh. The time spent with Lulu have been both exasperating and enlightening. The youngest Spencer was a bundle of contradictions that made Coop want to simultaneously strangle her and lock her up somewhere to keep her safe. She was such a good person with such bad instincts.

"Coop," Maxie smiled her bright seductive smile as Coop looked up, welcoming him with the warmth in her eyes and the tilt of her hips. "Fancy seeing you here."

Cruz rolled his eyes and wondered about the girl. "Officer Barrett," he greeted with a quick raise of a brow.

If Cooper had been surprised by the address, he didn't show it. "Detective Rodriguez. What can I do for you?"

"Congrats," Cruz said with a smirk, "you are officially released from your babysitting duties. Commissioner is pulling the assignment since we've got out shooters."

Now that surprised Coop. "The case is closed?"

"Not completely," Cruz admitted with a sigh. "Maxie, could you give Barrett and me a minute?"

"Why?" Maxie asked, her tone immediately going to defense mode. She hated being put off.

"Official business," Cruz explained with a look that Maxie knew all too well. She understood it as a cop thing. Pouting mightily, Maxie flounced off with a huff. Cruz shook his head after her before turning back to Barrett. "Officially, it's a closed case."

Coop wasn't even watching his girlfriend. He had better things to worry about. Sonny Corinthos has made it very clear that he wanted everything there is to know about the case but protecting Lulu was to be his primarily objective. "And unofficially?"

"Unofficially, we definitely want to know who killed the would-be killers," Cruz said honestly with a quick turned to look over his shoulders. He's been getting the strangest feeling lately of being watched. It wasn't completely unsettling but definitely wasn't a comforting feeling either.

"What's wrong?" looking over the detective's shoulder to see nothing out of the ordinary.

Shaking off the feeling that left the hair on the back of his neck standing, Cruz shook his head. "Nothing," telling himself he was just imagining it. "Listen, Lucky isn't going to give up until he knows that Lulu is safe. But officially, you're relieve of your duties. You can leave now if you'd like."

"I can't," Coop said without any reluctance, "not yet anyways. I took Lulu out of her haven, I've got to make sure she gets back in one piece.

"Seeing the job to the end, huh?" he asked just shy of speculative. Cruz was not unaware of Lulu Spencer's effects on the young males in her life. His partner may be exasperated by the pack of puppies that follow his sister around but it was a source of great amusement for Cruz.

Coop shrugged his shoulders without any indication of anything else but the truth.

Cruz respected that. "Okay, I get that though I don't think Maxie is going to be too thrilled with that. She followed me here with the express purpose of taking you away after you've been relieved," he eyed the younger man with great interest now. "You and Maxie are…"

"Friends," Coop said quickly, feelings his cheeks burn.

"Friends," Cruz rolled the word around on his tongue then grinned, "Right."

"I'll bring Lulu home and…" he groaned as his gaze went the suddenly opened ER door. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

"What happened!" Carly demanded followed closely by Lucky and Nikolas who wore the same expression of a mix of concern and outrage.

Sighing with resignation and bracing himself for the consequence, "She fell down the stairs."

"She what?" Lucky and Carly screeched at the same time.

"Is she all right?" Nikolas asked seriously, looking behind Coop at the curtains as if he could penetrate it by sheer will. "Is she in there?"

"I can hear you!!!" Lulu holler back loudly. "This place isn't exactly soundproofed for… ouch!"

"You need to hold still," Noah admonished loudly.

"Lulu!" Carly yelled, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" Lulu screeched back then gave another yap of pain. "Or I will be as soon as ahhh…"

"Hold still!" Noah ordered more firmly this time.

Nikolas sighed and gave a quick shake of his head then pinned Cooper with an unwavering gaze. "What was she doing on the stairs?"

"She wanted to sit in the living room," Coop replied and looked a Rodriguez for a moment. "How did you guys…"

"You were suppose to call if there was any change," Lucky reprimanded darkly. "I didn't need to hear from my partner that my kid sister had a relapse."

Cruz held up a hand to forestall anything from Coop. "He's my _partner_; don't even go there with me, rookie."

"Yeah, but how did you find out we were here? How'd you know where to find me?" Coop asked carefully, not liking this at all. If there's a leak in the Corinthos organization… Who was he kidding? D.A. Lansing all but said there was a leak in Sonny Corinthos' business. The question now was who. Coop could bet his next pay check that it wasn't Lucky Spencer or Cruz Rodriguez: they were too clean. Of course, one could say the same of him as well and look where he was.

"I followed _you_," Cruz replied with a roll of his eyes. "You might have been a little busy to notice me following you all the way from Mrs. Corinthos' house. Wasn't exactly making a secret of it." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper. "I went there to delivery your latest orders."

Not even glancing at it, Coop folded the single sheet and slipped it into his back pocket. "Okay, I got it."

"They're pulling him?" Lucky demanded.

"You knew it was coming," Cruz reminded him.

Lucky didn't look happy about it at all. He glanced at a curious Carly and Nikolas and quickly explain the situation in a brisk frustrated tone. He wasn't happy with the department's lack of interest in the mystery of those Venezuelan men but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. He's already been order to shut down the investigation into why those men were in Port Charles to begin with.

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Lulu yelled when the hushed tones dropped to silence. She struggled for a moment with her shirt then yanked the curtain apart. "What's everyone all doomed and gloomed about?"

"Nothing," Lucky said quickly, a little too quickly, and went to hug his sister gingerly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Lulu replied, yet again, and pulled back to look at the doctor.

Noah wondered for a minute why he always ended up covering the ER shifts when Leslie Lu Spencer was brought in. Though he can't say he was sorry to be helping out Luke's baby girl. Lord how quickly children grow; look at his own son. "She's fine. The fall didn't do much but tore her skin when the stitches won't give under the strain. Her wounds have closed up nicely; it's good to be young and healthy," he grinned at Lulu who smiled back with Laura's smile. "I've removed the stitches and bandaged the new tear, try to keep that dry and clean. You still need lots of rest due to the blood loss, don't over due it just because the stitches are out," he warned sternly and jotted down some notes to himself in her chart. "Next time Lulu, use the hand rail."

"Will do," Lulu mockingly saluted him and looked up as Nikolas embraced his sister gently. "Hey, I didn't mean to pull you off Windermere."

"You didn't, I was at the Metro Court when Lucky called," he glanced at his brother for a moment, "And even if I wasn't in town already, I'd have been here anyways," he said sternly at her. "I think we need to revisit the idea of you moving onto Spoon Island."

"Hey, hey, hey," Carly interjected herself between the siblings and gave Nikolas a gentle shove to back him up. "Let's not be hasty here. There's no reason Lulu has to go anywhere but home right now; my home… our home," she amended quickly. "The boys love having her there and I like having another woman in the house with all the testosterones that come in and out as they please."

Nikolas wouldn't be deterred, "With the police pulling their guard, we need to think…"

"Like the thirty people around my house isn't enough?" Carly asked determinedly. "Look, I know you mean well but Lulu needs to have access to a medical facility."

"The doctor just said…"

"Oh please, like you really want to listen to him?" Carly said dismissively, "She came in here because she was bleeding again. I think it's safe to assume that we need to make sure that she gets the kind of adequate help she needs on a daily basis and I have the most…"

"HEY!" Lulu yelled into the fray as Lucky put up his hand in defeat and didn't want to jump into it: the conversation had disaster written all over it. Lulu was just getting plain annoyed at being talked about rather than talked to. "Would anyone like to ask _me_, you know the one that this actually involves, where _I'd_ like to stay?"

Taking a breath to pull back his temper and fears, Nikolas nodded his head at his sister. "I'm sorry. You're right, we should be consulting you as to where you'd feel safe."

"Thank you," Lulu said touching her side where Dr. Drake had bandaged her like a mummy. "Look, I know you mean well but I think it's a better idea if I stay with Carly for now. She's got plenty of security and I've got a room all set up already."

"A room can be prepared immediately if you…"

"And," Lulu added quickly as she stopped her brother, "I like being at Carly's. It's easier for Grandma and Aunt Bobbi and Lucky and Dad and you to visit whenever you guys want to. If I move to Spoon Island..."

There was times when Nikolas really disliked how remote his home was. "I get your point."

"Thank you," she said with a quick smile and hug. "Now…" she turned to the silent Coop, "Can we go home? I'm hungry. And what's this about orders?"

"Oh that's simple," Maxie said suddenly appearing from behind Cruz, her face ridiculously smug as she took her boyfriend's arm. "Coop's been reassigned. He's no longer forced to baby sit you."

"Maxie," Coop said warningly as he extracted his arm before he turned to Lulu, who reframed from saying anything out of sheer will power. "Your case was closed and they're pulling me off bodyguard duty."

Lulu held her tongue for a moment, not sure what she was suppose to say to that. Then forcing herself to smile, she nodded her head in understanding. "Okay then, guess no more gin rummy for you," she held her hand out to him. "Thanks for sticking around and never complaining about my complaining."

Coop laughed and shook her hand. "I'm still going to see you back to Mrs. Corinthos place."

Maxie looked shocked and protested quickly, "But Coop…"

"You don't have to do that," Lulu said just as quickly and turned to Lucky, Nikolas as well as the two suits standing silently in the background. "I'm sure I have enough cover to get me back to the house."

"Actually," Lucky said apologetically, "I have to get back to the station. Mac called thirty minutes ago about a final report that we haven't turned in," he looked at Cruz who winced in response. They both hated paperwork more than anything else in the world. "We have to go."

Nikolas nodded his head and added, "And I'm suppose to be meeting Emily. Though I suppose Emily won't mind if…"

"Will I would," Lulu said giving Nikolas a quick push. "Don't keep Emily waiting, I have more than enough people watching me to make me kind of nervous. Don't worry about it, either one of you," when both brothers opened their mouths to say something. "Scat!"

Carly laughed and pushed the boy on, "Don't worry about her," she waved them away. "Plenty of guards and she's just going back to my place," then turned back quickly to Lucky, "Oh hey, do you think you can pull a night shift tomorrow? I'm one guard short on security."

Luck considered it a moment, "Sure, I can do that."

"Great," she smiled wide and shooed them away. "Lulu…"

"Yes?" Lulu asked a little suspiciously.

"Your car had a minor fuel leak," she shrugged, "And I had them bring it to the mechanics. I want you to take my car and send it back for me when you get home. I have to go talk to someone."

"I can wait," Lulu offered calmly.

"Don't bother," Carly rolled her eyes, "I don't know how long I'm going to be."

Lulu sighed and nodded. "Okay then," she turned and regarded Coop with a smile. "See you around Kelly's!"

"I'm going to see you home," Coop repeated resolutely and took her arm to steer her toward the back entrance guessing that's where Carly would have turned over her car. "I take my assignments seriously."

"But Coop," Maxie protested hounding him, "You've been relieved of your duties."

"Maxie," Coop said firmly, "I'll see you back at Kelly's in an hour."

For a moment, Maxie looked ready to blow her gasket but Carly's inquisitive look stopped her. She has no doubt that things could escalate very quickly if she did anything impulsive, like throw a tantrum right here. Retreat was the only course she could take without pissing off someone or other, "Fine," and flounced off.

Carly smirked and shook her head after the Jones girl. "Okay, Coop. You make sure Lulu gets in bed before you leave okay? I'll be back there as soon as I could. Can you stick around until then?"

"Not a problem, Mrs. Corinthos," Coop said quietly.

"It's Carly," she replied and touched Lulu's arm. "Be good," and left.

Lulu wondered for a moment if her life was always going to be like this. "Okay, now that everyone has left…"

"I'm still going to see you home first," Coop concluded correctly reading her train of thoughts. "Come on."

"You're such a boy scout," Lulu complained but didn't resist his tugging. Arriving at the black sedan with it's darkly tinted windows, Lulu considered just shoving him out of the way and going home on her own. But that didn't seem like a nice thing to do. Besides which, the guy did save her life once. She should at least be decent to him for his concerns. "Bet you're glad to be rid of me."

"You had your moments," Coop replied with a smile. In truth, he was going to miss her and her teasing banter. There was something so relaxingly easy about her that Coop hadn't experience in a long time. Lulu wanted nothing and expected nothing from him and was completely at ease with him. The only moment of tension was completely his part when she mentioned the Metro Court hostage situation; he prayed that she never find out about his part in that whole mess. "Maybe if I'm really good, Mrs. Corinthos will let me come visit you and we can play a couple of rounds of…" he brought off as a white van suddenly swung in front of the car, forcing them to stop unexpectedly.

"What the hell…" Alex in the driver seat asked.

But Coop already knew what was happening, he's seen this tactic before… in Iraq. "Get out of the car!" he ordered pushing his door open and dragging Lulu out while keeping both of their heads down.

"What are you…" Lulu's question was drowned out by sound of ricocheting bullets off the car. She lost her train of thoughts as Coop shoved her under him, shielding her body with his own behind the car.

After fifteen long seconds, the van peeled away with a squealing tires, leaving a silence behind that was nearly as devastating as the initially unexpected attack. Coop could see from his position on the ground the pools of blood gathering under the doors of the front seats of the car. He didn't need to be a genius to know what they were from. Easing up slowly, he checked his weapon, "Lulu, are you all right?"

When Lulu didn't answer, he crouched down quickly and checked her. The gash on her head told him that he'd shoved her too hard onto the ground. He sighed; better hurt and alive. "Damn it," he searched her pocket and found her cell phone.

"9-1-1, please state your emergency."

"This is Office Cooper Barrett of the PCPD. I have a situation…."

_To be continued…_

Feed back?


	10. Putting Things in Place

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful think, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it were, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Lorenzo calls a meeting, Jason makes plans for Carly and Logan has a tough question for Coop.

**Timeline**: Nowhere on the map. Just keep reading.

**Author's Note**: When I started this story, it was going to be this short little thing about Lulu and Carly and that I wasn't going to bring the whole freaking cast into the story. Guess what didn't happen? Okay, so I have a hard time writing short little stories, I can't help it! But this story has gotten a little out of hand. I am no longer sure where it's going or if the title still holds true. (sigh) Damn it!

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 10 – Putting Things in Place

* * *

**

Luke was seething with anger and was doing a less than stellar job at hiding it. Those around him would be a lot more comfortable if he was yelling and threatening. But at the moment, he was silently plotting retribution. And Luke Spencer was most dangerous when he was quiet.

"Say something," Tracy hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"And what exactly," Luke replied in a low gravel tone that indicated his rage, "would you like to me say, wife?"

Tracy glanced at him worriedly, wondering if anything was going shake the murderous intent she could see in her husband's chipped icy blues. She could see the wheels of revenge churning away in that brilliant mind of his and she could only hope that the days ahead was not going to be filled with bloodshed. And she definitely wouldn't put it pass Luke to shed a little blood over his precious daughter. "You're making people nervous."

"And that would be aconcern how?" Luke asked in an almost conversational manner that belied his homicidal thoughts at the moment. No one hurts his family and gets away with it. No one!

"Dad?" Lucky shifted his jacket to hide the gun he had hastily tucked into his shoulder holster when he made the sudden and unexpected return to the hospital. The call had come in through dispatch and his head had nearly blow off when he heard. "How is she?" By the look on his father's face, one could almost believe… "No," he said in denial.

Shaking her head, Tracy was quick to jump in, "She's okay. Concussion and possibly wrist fracture but she's fine."

All the air went out of Lucky's lungs at the exact same time. "That's… that's…"

"The word is 'good,'" Cruz Rodriguez whispered helpfully from behind Lucky just before he clapped his partner on the shoulder in support. "'Fantastic' could even apply here," he added showing a dimple. "I just came back from the site."

Lucky didn't want to know.

Cruz nodded his head toward the other edge of the room where the newly minted Officer Cooper Barrett was currently sitting silently contemplating the blood on his hands. Moving away from his father, Lucky watched with concern as Barrett didn't move when they approached. They were merely acknowledged by a quick statement of, "It's not mine… or Lulu's," from Barrett before either detectives asked the question that was on their minds.

"Are you okay, Barrett?" Cruz asked, taking a seat next to the obviously shell-shocked officer. The kid was young, too young to be seeing all this… or have seen it already.

"I'll be okay," Cooper answered as he finally looked up. His eyes were a little dead and his heart was just now slowing to a normal rate. "How Lulu?"

"Alive," Lucky said with a smile. "Thanks to you."

"We got lucky," Coop stated very simply. "Those guys were pros and they weren't messing around."

Of that, Cruz already knew. The car had been riddled, as were the two bodies the coroner had to cart away. The commissioner had been just _thrilled_ to find out about the shooting… along with the one outside of the PC cemetery in board daylight. Lucky had been pulled on account of both his father and sister being involved, a decision that practically sent Lucky through the roof before he stormed out of the precinct to check on his yet-again wounded sister. "Can you tell me what you saw?"

"Not much," Cooper replied painfully frustrated by that little fact. "White van, no distinguishing marks, pulled up from our blind side at our four. Positioned itself at our twelve pretty directly. I recognize the maneuver as an old tactic rebels use on convoys. I pulled Lulu out of the car and warned the others to get to cover. The van opened fire on us with automatics; barely got Lulu covered in time." He winced guiltily. "Pushed her too hard on the ground too."

"You saved her life," Lucky informed him with a firm gasp of the younger man's shoulder. "I don't how you did it but thank you."

Cooper shook his head. "Should have moved faster, should have recognized that move sooner."

"Stop it," Cruz warned in a harsh whisper wanting to shake the boy by the shoulder. "You did good; stop beating yourself up for the 'what if's.' It doesn't help anyone." He could already seen the coming onslaught events. Everyone can see that this stank of mob war activities. But… "The car that you were in, it wasn't the same one from earlier."

Pulling himself into solider mode, "No. Mrs. Corinthos noticed an oil link on the SUV and sent it to the shop for repairs. She lent us her car for the time being and stayed here at the hospital on business."

Nodding and taking notes, Crus glanced at Lucky who caught on pretty quickly, "Did you enter through the front or back of the premise?"

"Back," Coop answered, looking at the two detectives, knowing the speculation already. "Lulu wasn't the intended target, was she?" He should feel relieved… he should… but he didn't. It didn't change the fact that someone shot at them.

"There was no way anyone could have known she traded cars with Carly," Lucky speculated with clarity and a great deal of other concerns. "Chances are the hit was on Carly and Lulu just got in the way… kind of like when she got in the way at Jason's." A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Lucky's attention and he turned in time to see Carly standing here, silent and fearful. The urge to lay out the anger and fear for Lulu was there but he ruthlessly curbed it. He was not going to lose control and start pointing the fingers. And by the look in Carly's eyes, no one needed add to what was already tormenting her.

Carly swallowed her fear and her urge to jump in headfirst (not an easy task for her on a good day much less a day like this) and asked, "How is she?"

"Asking for you," Dr. Drake answered as he came in. "Lulu's awake," which was met with a frenzy of movements toward him. Holding up his hand, he stopped them with a quick authoritative look. "And I'm limiting her visitors. She's asked to see Carly first." He pointed down the hall and gave her the room number. "Keep it short and don't be surprised if she falls asleep on you. She took a pretty hard hit to the head."

Nodding, Carly hurried off with a quick glance at Luke, Tracy then Lucky.

"She really going to be all right, Drake? Or were you saying that just for the womenfolk?" Luke asked as he approached his old friend.

"She's got a hard head," Noah replied with a smile, "Much like her old man." He could see the fear in Luke's eyes. "She's going to be fine. It's a minor head wound though I would like to keep her here at least overnight for observations. She's been in and out of hospitals too often the last week."

"You're tell me?" Luke sighed and ran a quick hand through his hair and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, keeping her here would be a good idea… I'll go see about security with Sonny and Jason."

He may not like the source but Lucky couldn't agree more. "I'll talk to the commissioner about posting additional guards," he turned and looked at the exhausted Cooper. "Cooper, you should probably take off before…"

"I'm staying," Coop said quietly with a kind of assurance that meant something.

"You've been pulled," Cruz pointed out quietly. "No one would blame you if you decide to go now and get cleaned up."

"I'm staying," he repeated a little more firmly. "I'm fine."

"You've been shot," Logan Hayes interrupted with a clouded look as he moved toward his buddy. "How did you not notice the fact that you're bleeding all over the place?" pointing downward at the soaked jean leg. Leaning out the door he had just come through, "Hey! Can we get some help in here?"

Lucky and Cruz looked down at the same time as Logan went to his knees and ripped apart the wet jeans with a practiced hand. The gash wasn't deep but it was long enough to bleed more than might be safe. Coop didn't even react, merely stared down at his own leg like he's never seen it before.

"Oh jeeze," Cruz turned his head and sighed. "What the hell is the matter with you, Barrett?" and pulled his phone out his back pocket. The commissioner is not going to like this at all.

A flock of nurses came in, took one look at the wound and ushered Cooper out without another word. Logan fretted and followed the crowd of blue scrubs while Lucky and Cruz went to work on reporting this newest development.

-&-&-&-

"I hate concussions," Lulu complained as she held her head over a trash can. The dizzy effects of having your brain knocked so hard that it ping-ponged around in your skull wasn't exactly great for her stomach. "It's worse than being shot."

"How so?" Carly asked mildly as she smoothed back her cousin's hair.

"They knock you out when you get shot. With concussions, they just let you sit here and puke."

Carly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The phone call she got had been ridiculously short and lacked any kind of useful information other than Lulu's been shot at in her car. For thirty seconds, Carly had a horrible imagine of a dead Lulu lying behind the dark SUV until she remembered that she had lend her cousin _her_ car. Then came all those lovely thoughts of wondering who would want to kill her… until she remembered that she'd been married to two mob bosses now and had a rather nice reputation of being a trouble maker around town. The question better asked was who _wouldn't_ want her dead.

"Hey, hey!" Lulu's blue eyes were cloudy with nausea and discomfort but she wasn't blind. "No one knew it was coming… so knock it off."

That was the one thing Carly liked best about Lulu, she didn't waste time with the stupid things in life. "Did you get a good look at the bastards that shot up Sonny's people?"

"Are they all dead?" Lulu asked sadly.

There was no need to answer that.

Taking a deep breath through her mouth and letting it out slowly through her nose, Lulu stared at the ceiling for a moment. "I didn't see anything. Coop had me out of that car and on the ground before I even knew what the hell was going on. After that…"

"Darkness," Carly concluded with a nod. "Not that I'm not grateful for Coop's quick thinking, I just needed something more to go on."

"Don't take this on yourself, Carly," Lulu advised wisely. "These guys are seriously bad news. And if they're willing to kill to get what they want, they are not people you want to be messy around with. Let Jason and Sonny handle it."

Rolling her eyes, Carly smiled that half lopsided cocky smile of hers that usually got her what she wanted in life. "And when has a little gun problem ever stopped me."

"Starting now," Lulu said tilting her chin to the doorway.

Carly turned in time to see Jason step into the room, glaring at her. Blanching, she gave her cousin a good frown. "You couldn't have warned me?"

Lulu shrugged. "I didn't want to see you killed."

"I wasn't going to get killed," Carly insisted indignantly. "I had a plan."

"Oh great," Lulu pulled a face, "one of your infamous plans."

"What does that mean?" Carly demanded.

"They never work!" Lulu replied exasperated then groaned when the movement jarred her abused head and sent her thoughts scattering.

"Easy, easy," Carly held Lulu's head and eased it down to the trash can again. "You really need to learn not to get shot at all the time if you plan on hanging around the big boys."

Lulu made a gagging noise.

Shaking his head at both of them, Jason advanced into the room. "You, the boys and Lulu are all on the first plane out of Port Charles. There's a private jet waiting on the airstrip just outside of town and another South of Boston to take you guys to the island." He paused as both women protested, loudly, in that very indignant, outrage tone he's come to associate with both. After the allotted minute and a half of ranting, Jason held up his hand (which did nothing) and interrupted with, "It's non-negotiable."

"I'm not just going to up and leave," Lulu said angrily, "These guys are not chasing me out of town."

"I've got responsibilities here, Jas," Carly argued just as loudly as if he hadn't spoken. "I can't just pack up and walk away."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and wished silently for earplugs. Of course, either Lulu or Carly noticed.

"They boys have had their lives disrupted enough," Carly continued, "I'm not going to yank them out of school for just any old reason. Tighten the security on them or something. I'll electrify my gates if that's what it takes."

"Have you even run this by my dad?" Lulu demanded, "Do you know what Dad would say to me running off to hide from the mob? Come on!"

"How about: that's a real smart idea, Princess?" Luke interjected as he leaned against the doorway. The look on Papa Spencer's face said it all. "Darling daughter of mine, I may have had a lot of interesting times running from mobs but that don't mean I want you any part of it."

"Dad…" Lulu whined suddenly.

"Now Princess," Luke said as he came in.

"Daddy…" Lulu said in argument.

"No," Luke said sternly in that no-nonsense voice he only employed once in a blue moon. "This is the last time someone gets to point a loaded gun at _my_ little girl. You're going to Sonny's island and you are going to stay there until this things clears up or until I'm dead, whichever one comes along first. And you," turning to Carly with the same chipped blue eyes that reflected back at him. "You are going to take those boys of yours, grab Bobby and do a whole month of just playing. Those boys are better off dumb and uneducated then dead or orphaned."

Biting back a retort on the tip of her tongue, Carly was just lucky that Jason was there to physically block her from giving Luke one hell of a bruise. "Not that I need you to be playing security for my boys but I'd like to…"

"Point out that that's twice now someone took a pot shot at someone close to your loving ex," Luke continued on with a distinctively pointed look. "You got lucky this time, Caroline. Next time…" he left the warning hanging there.

Carly growled at him.

Jason shook his head and had enough of the Spencers' usual loving conversations. "I'll have someone pack you and Lulu a suitcase. You leave tonight. We can send for everything else you need."

"Great plan," Logan said with a roll of his eyes, "Except for the fact that Lulu's got a concussion about the size of Texas and it's doubtful that the doctors are going to allow her on a plane where her brain might explode."

"Thanks, Logan," Lulu said dryly, "for that lovely mental imagine."

"She's not going anywhere until the doctors can clear her," Cooper added as he came in after Logan. "And I just spoke with the Commissioner. We're adding security details to your watch and another…"

"You need to go home and sleep," Lulu interrupted as she smiled at her savior, "and probably shower. I can't imagine you're going to be smell too good after like twelve hours in the same…" she leaned over a little on her bed. "What's wrong with your leg?"

Cooper smiled and ignored the question, hiding his torn up pant leg behind the foot of the bed. "I've asked the commissioner to put me back on your detail and…"

"He got shot," Logan piped in without any apologies, "probably while trying to save you."

Carly's eyes went wide. "Are you all right?" going to him to see for herself.

"You were shot?" Lulu's eyes went wide and when she tried to get out of bed, she fell.

"Lulu!" Logan and Coop moved at the same time.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lulu assured them with a groan as she leveled herself off the ground with one arm and held her aching head with the other. "After you've been shot, this is nothing," she waved it away and looked at Coop. "_You_ all right?"

Because the rest of the room now had their attention on him, Coop stammered a little as he answered, "I'm fine. It's just a graze."

"Oh good," Lulu replied with a frown. "I'd hate for you to get seriously hurt because of me."

Coop smiled at her concern but added, "I'm not that one that you should be worried about," looking pointedly at the former Mrs. Corinthos.

"What?" Carly asked innocently.

"You're on the next plane out," Jason informed her. "Lulu will follow when she's able to."

Carly set her face into the most mulish look she could muster but before she could say anything, a newcomer had her raising her brows.

Luke had been braced for Carly's arguments and turned when she gave none. "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."

"You should listen to your friend, Carly," Lorenzo said as he leaned against the doorway. He ditched the cane at home, finding it more trouble than it was worth. Besides, it was time to reassert himself into the game, hiding behind an ailment was no longer a option at this point. There is too much as stake… and the stakes were worth more than most. "Port Charles is no longer safe for you."

"Why am I not surprised that you're behind all this?" Carly replied dryly as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want?" Jason asked, putting himself between Carly and Alcazar.

"A meeting," Lorenzo said, getting down to business, "with Corinthos. We have a mutual problems that needs to be resolved."

"This have anything to do with me?" Lulu asked quite curious.

Lorenzo fixed the girl with his dark unreadable eyes for a moment, carefully noting her defiant glaze with some amusement. The child was showing all the signs of a spirited beauty, much like her cousin. It pained him to remember that this was his son's friend, the person he knew Diego had trusted with secrets. She would have been a good match for his son. "Yes, it is unfortunate that you have been thrown into the middle of this."

"Yeah," Lulu rolled her eyes and made a shooing motion. "I'm suppose to be taking it easy. Can you all leave now?"

"I'll be outside," Cooper said as he moved everyone toward the door.

"Daddy?" Lulu held out her hand. "Can you stay with me?" she asked sweetly.

Luke narrowed his eyes on his precious little girl for a moment before nodding in compliance. "Of course, gumdrop." And sat down by the bed. The girl was up to something.

Carly and Luke traded quick glances that said nothing but everything all at the same time before she moved out of the room. Watching at Cooper Barrett shut the door, she turned on Lorenzo, "You better tell me what the hell is going on right now, Lorenzo."

"There some very angry people out there that aren't too thrilled with the fact that Corinthos is holding a…" he stopped as Lucky Spencer and Cruz Rodriguez appeared. "Good afternoon, detectives."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lucky physically held himself in check even as he felt his partner's hand on his arm. An unprovoked attack on an unarmed civilian wasn't going to help his sister. "I want you as far away from my family as you can possibly get."

"Calm down Lucky," Carly said as she placed herself between her obviously furious cousin and her latest ex husband. She didn't particularly like to play the calm rational person, seldom as that may be, but she knew that a brawl here would be the last thing they need. "Lorenzo was just leaving."

"LUCKY!!!" Lulu hollered loudly from within. "LUCKY!!!"

"I think your sister is calling for you," Cruz said, giving him a slight push toward the door and away from the mob boss… and Jason Morgan who Lucky has yet to see. There was no need for that confrontation here either. "Why don't you see what she needs, okay?" opening the door and shoving him through with a sigh. Cruz gave Carly a grateful look, telling her that her efforts weren't lost on him.

"I think we should talk elsewhere," Lorenzo interjected smoothly, addressing both Morgan and Carly at the same time.

Jason shook his head slowly at Alcazar. "You have something to say to Carly, you say it to me." He stood by and watch Carly make the mistake of trusting this guy once, he wasn't about to let the smooth-operator try his hand at her a second time. Carly wasn't one of those that took the saying 'once bitten, twice shy' seriously.

"Arrange a meeting, Morgan," Lorenzo repeated and walked away, "before someone you love gets hurt again." He walked down the hall and was halfway out of the hospital before he was joined by his companion. "What happened to you?"

Enrico said nothing for a moment, following Lorenzo out of the hospital to their awaiting car. "Something came up."

"Really now?" he asked, getting in and closing the door behind him.

"The bills has been handled," Enrico replied as he took entered the car. "Skye has been placed under tighter security and the men that lost her replaced. From all accounts, we have Mr. Spencer Sr. to thank for Ms. Quartermaine's timely rescue."

"She and Lila Rae are on their way out of town?"

"Yes."

"This cannot happen again," Lorenzo instructed sternly, "And where were the men following Lulu Spencer?"

"It happened too quickly, they couldn't move into position in time to be effective," Enrico replied, grateful that Lorenzo appear to not want to question his recent absence.

"Double her guards."

"Already done."

"And Carly's as well."

Hesitating a moment, "Morgan's people might suspect something if we add that many people."

"I am arranging a meeting with Corinthos and discussing the current situation so I do not particularly care who knows that I am having men protect Carly and Lulu," Lorenzo replied with that deadly silence of his that have most men fearing for the worse. The silence stretched just long enough for Enrico to fear that Lorenzo was thinking a little too much. "You have been behaving very oddly of late, Enrico. Would you care to explain yourself?"

Enrico felt himself tense. It wasn't the first time he's kept something from Lorenzo and probably wouldn't be the last. But this wasn't some trifle little thing; this was family. And family was most important in their lives.

Lorenzo turned and stared at him with those eyes that can at times turn oh-so-cold. "And why you failed to mention that you had a brother?"

-&-&-&-

Logan toed the chair over and nudged Coop into it. "You look like hell, you know that right? I mean, on a good day, I'd look better than you anyways but at this point, you aren't even in the competition."

"Did you have to tell her I was shot?" Coop groused as he reached down and touched the thick bandage on his calf. He was lucky that it hit nothing but fat, which was why he hadn't felt any pain until the adrenaline wore off. Now it felt like his leg was on fire. The bottle of pills in his pocket would help but he didn't want to dull his senses. With so much a play right now, he couldn't afford to be off his game.

"She asked," Logan replied and tilted his head to look at the bound wound. The bleeding had stopped but Coop was going to be walking funny for a while; calf wounds don't hell fast. He knew from first hand experience just how long. "Besides, she ought to know."

"She didn't need to know," Coop said and glared up at Logan. "Lulu's got enough on her plate as it is."

"You're getting too close," Logan informed him in that non-commenting attitude tone that got him more lapse around boot camp than anyone else in their unit.

"Too close to what?"

"Her," Logan pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I see the way you look at her, the way you act."

"I'm trying to do my job," Coop informed his friend.

"No," Logan said rather sadly, with just a hint of pity for his pal. "Started out as a job maybe but let's face it, you're a sap with a real liking for the cute little blonds in need of rescuing; must be that whole boy scout mentality of yours. And Lulu definitely fit the bill. I'm not saying that the girl is anything like the emotional train wreck that is Maxie Jones but Lulu seem to have a nose for trouble."

Coop didn't have the energy to shut him up. "Logan…"

"I know, I know, you're going to say something about laying off Maxie but buddy, I'm telling you…"

"Stop," Coop requested with a glare sharp enough to make an impression. "I can't deal with you and Maxie right now."

"Right," Logan agreed with a quick nod, "because you are too busy protecting Ms. Lulu Spencer, the girl you _supposedly_ see as just a job."

"She _is_ just a job," Cooper insisted, feeling a little heated around the collar. He didn't need to tell Logan that he was coming a little too close to something Coop didn't want to think about. This wasn't the right time… of course, it can never be the right time. "Maxie and I are good together. She's my girl. Lulu is just… she's just…"

"Lulu?" Logan asked rather mildly.

"She's… she's…" he shook his head. Coop didn't want to tell his friend that Lulu was the most exasperatingly wonderful girl he's ever met. And unlike Maxie, she didn't have a tendency to self-destruct. Lulu was simply Lulu, for lack of a better description. She was sweet and kind, short tempered and demanding, thoughtful and considerate, damaged and resilient. She was exactly the kind of girl Cooper always imagined never existing in the world.

"She's what, Coop?" Logan asked seriously as he watched the play of emotions dance across his friend's face, "Be honest here: are you falling for Lulu Spencer?"

-&-&-&-

The ringing phone on in his pocket was distracting at best and an annoyance at worse. Having ignored it twice now, Cruz really had to wonder at the tenacity of the person calling. Putting his pen down, he reluctantly picked up his phone and wondered how much longer this paperwork would take. Answering his phone with his usual cheery, "Rodriguez," he was unprepared for the voice on the other end.

"Hello, little brother."

_To be continued…_

Thoughts anyone?


	11. Major Change, Minor Acts

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful think, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it was, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Cruz gets a warning, Coop makes a decision and Lucky gets a surprise.

**Timeline**: Nowhere on the map. Just keep reading.

**Author's Note**: Okay, I'll admit to the fact that Johnny has kind of grown on me, I'll even allow that a pairing between Johnny and Lulu wouldn't be such a bad thing. At least Johnny's intents have always been clear and he doesn't play games with Lulu as far as where he stands. Johnny might be one of the most honest characters on the show right now; no pretenses no lie, he tells it like it is. (Basically he's Jason at the very beginning.) I think the show tried too hard with the Lulu/Logan thing, putting the Romero/Juliet act together too fast and now it's kind of falling apart. I still think that Coop and Lulu would have made an interesting pair… if nothing else than to mess with Maxie's head. But currently, I'm firm on the belief that the show are currently trying to recreate the Carly/Jason friendship in Lulu and Johnny. Strong, independent girl with good heart but makes rash and bad decision meets mobster with some good in him and the ability to tell it like it is. See where the parallels lies? Oh course, they could go the romantic route and I wouldn't complain. Johnny is a great deal more interest (not to mention the actor is pretty damn good too) then any of the cast of newbies they added in the last year.

As far as my story goes…everything is still up in the air and anything goes. And, just to warn you all now, I may even try to fold Johnny into this in the future. But for now…

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." _Any questions?

**

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Chapter 11 – Major Change, Minor Acts

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**

Fingering the cross around his neck, Cruz silently gave a prayer and called himself an idiot. He should have never agreed to this, it was too dangerous and just plain stupid. Nothing good could come of this; he knew that in his head, but his heart… his heart told him to wait. Some times, he really needed to tell his heart to listen to his head and shut the hell up.

"Hermano," Enrico greeted as he silently approached the pensive younger man.

Cruz may have been expecting him but he still managed to be shocked by his brother's appearance. And on the heel of that shock came the deep rooted resentment that he had thought long buried, along with his past. Enrico Rodriguez had inherited their shared father's good looks, much the same way Cruz had, but he had also inherited their father's face; the same devil-may-care face that charmed more than one poor senorita into his bed… and then carried his child.

"What are you doing in Port Charles?" Cruz wanted to know. Given what little he remembered of his father's business and if his brother had gone into the same line, he could only assume that sooner or later he's going to come into conflict with them.

"That is a question I wanted to ask you," Enrico replied in that smooth whiskey voice of his. "Cómo es tu mamá?"

"She's fine. And don't even think about going anywhere near her," he warned refusing to revert to a language he had vowed never to speak. The journey his mother made from South America to the United States had been a painful and treacherous one; but one necessary to ensure the safety of her only child. Cruz honored his mother sacrifice by being the son she wanted and not the one she had been forced to bear.

Enrico smiled, that tiny little smirk of a smile that Cruz knew all too well from any convenient mirror; it was the same one he inherited from their father. "Boston must be agreeable to her."

Blood running cold, Cruz fought the urge to do something violent.

"Relax, brother," Enrico said reassuringly seeing the sharpness in those familiar eyes, "I haven't seen her and I have no plans to do so. I was under the impression that you were in Boston with her."

"Get your intel. updated, Enrico. I haven't been in Boston for two years."

"You're still listed there."

He didn't answer. It had been a deliberate act upon his part.

With a sigh, Enrico shook his head at Cruz. "I am not watching you. I am not following you. I had not expected to see you here."

"Like I ask before, what are you doing in Port Charles?" Cruz didn't want to drag out this conversation any longer than must be. He didn't want to see the brother he had left behind twenty years ago when he and his mother fled 'The Compound' under the cover of night.

"Business," Enrico sighed, wishing this meeting wasn't so difficult though it was understandable. He didn't blame his little brother for his hatred of him, he had seen it too often with the others. Enrico's mother had been their father's wife, his true wife, and Enrico was the gold child: the preferred son, and treated as such. Enrico, for his part, never treated his numerous illegitimate brothers with anything but brotherly sentiments, despite their father's harsh partiality.

"Business," Cruz repeated with grave concern. "And what kind of business brings you here."

"The kind you don't want to be involved in," Enrico replied cryptically, "especially given your occupation."

That set Cruz's teeth back. "And what do you know about…"

"Father would be horrified to know that you have turned in a policía."

Cruz couldn't stop himself from answering, "Good."

"Still so angry?"

"For my mother's sake," he replied neutrally.

Enrico understood. He wished he didn't but he understood. "You need to let Corinthos and Alcazar handle the current problem with the shooters."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, "You have anything to do with Lulu Spencer getting shot?"

"Is she well?"

"No thanks to you."

"I had nothing to do with the shooting. And no one under my command had anything to do with it either," he assured his brother with a sigh. "But things are becoming difficult to control."

"And who exactly do you…"

"Do not ask questions that you do not want answers to," Enrico warned, knowing where little brother Cruz was going. "It is best you stay out of this."

"Not when someone is shooting at my partner's sister."

"She is being protected."

"Like she was yesterday?"

Enrico felt his cheeks burn. "That was unforeseen." He had failed. It was as simple as that. And despite his friendship with Lorenzo, he was not a nice man when things go wrong. "It will not happen again."

Cruz didn't make detective on his charm alone. "Someone else is moving in on the territory?"

"Not exactly," Enrico admitted. "And they are sloppy," frowning as he said the word. It was a strangely appropriate sounding word for the situation. "People can get hurt in this, innocent people that should not be involved."

"Like Lulu Spencer?"

"Exactly like her."

It galled him not to be able to ask but he didn't. Deniability was necessary and he didn't want to go there with Enrico. "How bad is this thing going to get?"

"It will be under control in a few days," Enrico ensure him with a quick smile.

Cruz shook his head slowly, hating this situation.

"It's good to see you again, mi hermano. It has been too long." And he met it, every word of it. Family was important to Enrico and he despised his father for alienating so many of his brothers from him. He's seen what Lorenzo and Luis meant to one another and what they were willing to do for their father; Enrico envied them of that relationship, craved it for from his own family. His father, Jorge Rodriguez, was a cruel man that treated his children like chattel, except for Enrico. Enrico was heir and therefore special, unlike his less fortunately siblings. It was times like this that one can only count on family. And Enrico had none that allowed him into their lives. A decade after his father's death, Enrico was still trying to make amends to those of his blood that Jorge sold off into virtual slavery.

It took a moment for Cruz to steel his heart but he did. He had to remember who Enrico was, who he answered to… or probably answered to. But a part of him couldn't help but remember the children they had once been, locked in the house that their father had guarded like a prison. They were close at one point when they were children, closer than the others were given those few months of age difference between them. But Enrico… Enrico had seen what their father was, what he did to the other children. And though he had too been a child, he always tried to protect the others, even their older sisters: taking the blame when things were broken, throwing a tantrum to re-direct their father's attention hid the others when their father came looking for them in a towering rage. Enrico Rodriguez had been a kind and loving to his siblings.

That was the brother that Cruz remembered, the one he missed, not the sleek mobster that stood before him, a frightening carbon copy of their honey-tongued father whose good looks belied a dark and twisted heart. Cruz shook his head and steeled his resolve. "I'm not your brother. I have no family but my mother."

-&-&-&-

Coop clinched his teeth and held his tongue. The last thing he should be doing was commenting but it was an effort. And it was an effort that he didn't particularly want to exert.

"The blond one does not require such frivolous…"

"A smoothie is good for her, it had all the nurturance of…"

"There's nothing wrong with Lulu's diet that she need to add to…"

"Her beauty needs no enhancement from sugar infused…"

"I'm not saying that she need anything on a regular basis but she's recovering and her body need extra nourishment to…"

"That's what the doctors are here for, Milo. She doesn't need you to be playing…"

"I'm trying to make sure that her recovery is…"

"The blond one's über cool paternal unit has been specific in his desires not to see…"

Coop kept waiting for Lulu to lose her cool and order the three would-be suitors out of her hospital room but she was silently watching the argument while violently sucking on the thick smoothie Jason's guard had brought in for her. The light twinkle in her blue eyes said that she was amused and not unaffected by the interplay between the boys. He saw a great deal of gratitude in her eyes, softened by her fondness for each man in their own special and unique way. But right now, Coop just wanted them all to shut up and go away.

"What is going on in here?" Luke Spence demanded as he stepped pass officer Barrett and into the room, an array of Garber daisies in his hand. "And why exactly are you Stooges yelling in my daughter's sick room?"

Milo stammered a moment, "We weren't exactly yelling, sir."

Spinelli jumped in quickly, "We were merely expressing ourselves in manner to which would convey our most devote and sacred admiration of the most fair…"

"Do you ever just shut up?" Dillon asked in completely disbelief before turning to Luke. "Look, we were just discussing whether or not a smoothie is good for Lulu while she's still on the mends."

"I think that's for the doctors and Lulu to decide," Luke replied as he leaned over and kissed his daughter on crown on her head. "Hello Daughter, how are you feeling today?"

"Tired," she replied finally giving up on actually drinking the smoothie. The stuff had the consistency of mud and sucking it with a tiny little straw just wasn't cutting it.

"Than my baby need peace and quiet so that she may rest," Luke concluded before turning to the Three Stooges. "Boys, nice of you all to drop by but you gotta go now."

"But…"

"But…"

"But…"

"OUT!" Luke shouted.

Coop almost didn't move out of the way fast enough to avoid being trampled by the three retreating and frightened suitors. It didn't say much about him to find great satisfaction in watching the three get thrown out of Lulu's room.

"Cooper!" Lulu called out.

"You need something?" he asked, returning the smile she flashed his way.

"How's the leg?"

Hurt like hell. "Fine," he replied.

Lulu rolled her eyes. "You, Boy Scout, are a really lousy liar."

Instead of answering, Coop shook his head and shut the door to give the father and daughter some privacy. God knows privacy is the only thing Cooper could give them right now for he certainly couldn't give them the assurance that someone isn't out to kill Lulu. The investigation was going nowhere from what little Cooper's been able to gleam from the patrolmen in the hospital.

"Barrett," Jason Morgan made his way over slowly, his eyes glancing down the hall at the three uniforms that were stationed along the corridor.

"Mr. Morgan," Cooper glanced down the hall and lowered his voice, "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be seen talking to you."

Jason ignored the suggestion, "Sonny wants security doubled here and at the house. Carly and the kids are in the air as we speak with twice the security. How is Lulu?"

"She's fine," Coop answered seeing that Jason wasn't in the mood to play nice… or play at all. He could see how Jason Morgan would be the key factor in No. One's downfall that night at the Metro Court. Morgan doesn't mess around and he was extremely good at his job. "Her father is in with her now."

"The doctors say that she'll be able to leave the hospital tonight."

"That's what I hear."

"Has the department assigned her bodyguard yet?"

"Me," Coop replied firmly. He didn't mention that he had been pretty firm with the commissioner as well in regards to that particular assignment. Maxie had been just simply thrilled with that decision but Coop couldn't tell her why he needed to be the one to watch Lulu, especially not after everything Maxie had done for him.

"Good," Jason replied and opened the door without knocking. "Come inside, I want to talk to you and Lulu together."

"Greetings, Jason," Luke said with a gleam in his eyes and a quick cold smile. "What brings you by?"

"Security," Jason waited until the door was closed. "Alcazar's requested a meet and he's got at least six men watching the hospital and house. There were more at the airfield when I sent Carly off. They're not even making an effort to hide anymore." That little detail said a great deal to Jason about Alcazar and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"How Carly?" Lulu asked anxiously.

"Pissed," Jason answered with a quick nod toward Coop. "Barrett is going to be watching you and I think it would be smart to move you to Carly's as soon as we can. There's better security there."

"I know, I know," Lulu grumbled, "Lock and key for me."

"More than that," Jason frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. "Alcazar isn't behind the shootings but he probably knows who is. The fact that he's got men on you and Carly means something."

"That he's still obsessed with Carly?" Lulu offered cheerfully.

Jason didn't look like he cared for that suggestion. "He's moved Skye and his daughter off the continent as well."

"This is serious then," Luke said quietly, troubled by the implications. His lined face was stern with consideration. "What about Lulu?"

"She's can't fly yet," Coop reminded them. "It's still too dangerous."

"Once she's secured in Carly's house, we're going to move her under the radar and keep up the appearances there," Jason elaborated quietly. "Coop will stay with her but I don't want the department knowing where she is. Cops are easy to buy, we cannot afford a leak."

"How am I going to explain this to the commissioner?" Coop asked, not angrily but calmly and with a great deal of thought already. The plan was sound, and it will afford Lulu a better chance at survival. Anyone willing to engage in gorilla warfare wasn't someone that Lulu needed contact with and Coop was going to make sure of that. If nothing else, he owed her for everything he put her through in the damn hotel heist.

"You don't," Jason replied easily. "As far as anyone else is concerned, you're doing your job. Once Lulu is properly secured in another safe place, we'll move you back to Carly's house to keep up appearances and you can…"

"No," Coop interrupted firmly. "Lulu goes nowhere without me."

Luke's eyes narrowed on the young man. "And why is that?"

Feeling just a tiny bit hot under the collar, Coop cleared his throat nervously under Luke Spencer's steely gaze. "My job is to protect Lulu at all costs. I'm no good to her if I'm not with her. No offense Mr. Morgan, but your people can be as easily bought as any officer on the force and I think I've proven my worth in safeguarding Lulu."

Jason considered this a moment. Cooper Barrett made a good point. And it also helped that the younger man had a personal stake in all this. "You do understand that if we were to move Lulu without PCPD's knowledge and you stay with Lulu, you could end up compromising your position in the police force."

"I'll have Lucky cover for him," Luke replied, his eyes still on the clean cut young man who was watching his daughter with a great deal more concern that was professional. And for Jason to even consider this… there was obviously more going on than meets the eye. This bears some watching.

"Hey," Lulu interjected, "Don't I get a say in this?"

Jason sighed, already knowing that she was going to have her say anyways.

"No," Coop replied rather casually.

"Well too bad," Lulu let him know in no uncertain terms, "because you're going to hear it anyways."

"Lulu," Cooper said quietly, "Don't you get that this is your life?"

"And don't you get that this is your career?" she retorted with the same exasperation.

Coop was having some trouble believing what he was hearing here. "My career is a pretty tiny price to pay compared to your _life_." There was a moment of silence as Lulu silently thanked him with her soft blue eyes, the shiny look of gratitude making Coop feel a little weak in the knees. He closed his eyes to block her out. "We're not going to argue about this."

"Nothing I can say to change your mind?" Lulu asked sweetly.

"No."

"Not even if I call Maxie?" she offered.

"You're not allowed phone privileges," Coop countered just as nicely.

"Since when?"

"Since now," Coop replied firmly and opened his eyes. The look of outrage on Lulu's face was worth the hell he was going to get from her later. "Get some rest, Lulu, Mr. Morgan and I will discuss the details outside," looking toward Jason.

Jason's eyes swiveled between the two for a moment. A smart man knew to back the winning horse. And in this case, it was Coop. He was going to hear about this later from Lulu… and probably Carly as well. But he nodded and headed for the door.

"I hate cops," Lulu muttered as Coop and Jason left.

On any other day, Luke would agree with her in a heartbeat. But today… Leaning over, Luke kissed his little girl on the head, "Be right back, Cupcake."

Lulu grabbed his arm. "Are you going to talk Coop into dropping this stupid plan of his that's going to get him kicked off the force?" He gave her a trademarked Luke Spencer look. "I didn't think so," and tugged hard enough on Luke's arm to topple him. "Let Jason handle it. He knows what he's doing."

"Boy, you and Jason have actually become friends now, haven't you? How the hell did that happen?" curious now.

She gave him a look and rolled her eyes.

Luke made a face. "I knew Caroline was going to be a bad influence on you."

-&-&-&-

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jason asked, his eye on the cops down the hall. So far, they were doing their jobs but they still hadn't caught onto five of his people also roaming the halls.

"I'll protect Lulu," Coop replied quite confidently and without any hesitation. "So we're set for tomorrow?"

"I'm going to go check on the new safe house now," Jason shook his head. "Lulu isn't going to make this easy for you."

"Lulu doesn't make anything easy for anyone."

If it were anyone else, Jason may have smiled in reaction. But he hadn't forgotten Cooper Barrett's role in the Metro Court hostage situation or the death of his father; nothing was ever going to make him forget that. But he'll give Cooper his due; the kid has done a bang up job protecting Lulu to date. And if the way Coop was looking at Lulu earlier was any indication, the young man would put his life down for the youngest Spencer. And at the moment, that's all that mattered. "I'll call you with the details."

Coop nodded his agreement.

Jason leaned in closer, "Sonny isn't going to be happy if you mess this up. Lulu is important to him and if anything happens to her…" he let that hang in the air.

"Tell Sonny that nothing is going to happen to Lulu," Coop replied seriously, not even blinking an eye. "And there's no need to threaten me, I'd do this even if my life wasn't on the line here. Lulu is a good person and someone I consider a friend."

There was a short silence as Jason stared at him for a moment, taking his measure. Then the tiniest smile graced Jason's usually emotionless face. It was like watching a train wreck: inevitable and you can't turn your face away from it. _"Another one bites the dust. She's collecting them like marbles."_ With a shake of his head, "I thought as much," then walked away.

Not knowing what to make of that statement, Coop watched the Corinthos Organization's Enforcer walk away… just as Maxie Jones came around the corner in a huff. If Coop was a smarter man, he'd turn and run in the other direction. Nothing good was going to come of this.

"Please tell me," Maxie started with eyes blazing, "that I had gone completely crazy and you didn't just accept another assignment to protect Lulu Spencer."

The same old song and dance was about to commence. Glancing briefly at the closed door to Lulu's room, Coop moved the conversation far enough not to be heard but close enough he could be effective when anyone came at the guarded room. "Maxie, please…"

"No," she shook her head angrily, "Coop, I can accept a lot of things in this world. But for you to purposely put yourself in harm's way because of Lulu…"

"It's my job, Maxie," Coop repeated with a sigh. "Why can't you see that Lulu is no threat to you?" he started at that obvious lie, wondering how he could say it so easily without thought. On the other hand, he could _never __ever_ cheat. He wasn't that kind of man.

"No threat?" Maxie repeated in disbelieve, wondering if Coop was really that naïve or thought she was. "I'm not stupid, Coop. I have eyes."

"Colored by something of a grass color?" Coop retorted with exasperation and just a hint of anger. "There's nothing going on between Lulu and me."

Crossing her arms across her chest, Maxie eyed her boyfriend carefully. "But you wouldn't mind if something did, would you?" She didn't need to be a genius to see that, as usual, Lulu Spencer has managed to get her hands on another man. "And really, who can blame you for rushing to poor little helpless Lulu's rescue, right?"

Coop closed his eyes for a minute. "Maxie, this isn't about Lulu or about my assignment. This is about trust. If you can't trust me, how are we suppose to keep going?"

"Trust?" Maxie fairly screeched. "I haven't seen you in weeks and I'm suppose to be okay with the fact that you practically begged to spend more time alone with your so-call assignment?"

Grabbing hold of his patience, "Lulu is a friend."

"Since when?"

"Since we spent weeks locked up together trying to keep her alive," Coop replied, "You know, kind of like when you and I were locked together in that vault."

"And look where that ended up," Maxie pointed out.

He hadn't been headed down that line of thoughts. "I have you; I don't need anyone else. You need to let this go."

"**YOU** need to let this go," Maxie countered angrily and without thought. "You need to choose: me or her."

"That's not fair, Maxie," Cooper protested even as he realized what she was doing and what his answer was going to be if she pushed this.

"No, you have to choose," Maxie insisted, dangerously close exploding like she usually did. "You can either walk away from this senselessly dangerous assignment and meet me at Kelly's tonight or you stay here with your _precious_ Lulu and we're over. You can't have it both ways!" and then stalked away.

-&-&-&-

Lucky closed the door to his hotel room with a weary foot and sighed. The dark room smelled like flowers and lemon cleaners. If nothing else, Carly knew how to run a comfortable place where anyone can easily convert to a temporary home. Two hours of arguing with Mac about putting him on the new case had been without fruition; Commissioner Scorpio was putting his food down on this one. Lucky was too close to the case.

"Of course," he mused quietly, "that doesn't mean I can't look into it on my own time. Cruz would probably share info with me if I asked nicely… and get the next hundred rounds of coffee."

With a sigh, he shrugged off his jacket and shoulder harness, folding one into the other carefully before setting it on the side table and headed to the bathroom for a shower… just as the knock came at the door. He hoped to god it was someone he didn't want to see. He could use a release on his pent up frustrations.

Simon Dubois smiled at Detective Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr. and resisted the urge to give the good policeman a thorough look over. It's a crime that all the good looking men in this town were straight and emotionally stunted. And Simon has also learned in the two weeks at Metro Court that you don't mess with the owners' family, it's bad for one's health, especially if one of said owner is named Carly Roberts Quartermaine Corinthos Alcazar. When one's name is graced with both Corinthos and Alcazar, one is to be obeyed. "I'm sorry to be a bother, detective, but I was told to report to you of any unusual activities at the hotel."

Lucky's brows furrowed for a moment before it cleared. Carly had mentioned something about a shortage of security at the hotel just before she sternly told him to watch his sister and threatened him with bodily harm if anything happened to Lulu while she was away. She had then promptly disappeared in the dead of night. Though he hated to admit it, and would probably only do so only under extreme torture, he was actually beginning to appreciate Carly and her affectionately abrasive ways.

The least he could do for Carly, after everything she's done for him and Lulu was help out around the hotel. "Yeah, what's the problem?"

Relaxing a bit, Simon replied easily. "The maintenance workers have reported that there have been noises coming from the basement. There's not much there but storage materials, some banquet hall equipment and the furnace." He made a face. "No one is supposed to be down there right now. We're not expecting to host any major events."

For a moment, Lucky hesitated before he relented. If someone had been more diligent in guarding the Metro Court way back when… all the chaos the followed, Alan's death and even his own miserably messed up life might not have occurred. "I'll go check it out now."

"Thank you, Detective," Simon smiled and silently sighed as Lucky Spencer pulled his gun holster on again and slipped into the well worn leather jacket that smoothed itself over those lovely board shoulders. "I'll show you the way."

"No need," Lucky nodded his head and grabbed a flashlight behind the television unit. Carly had very specifically had those installed after living through the blackout and inferno that was once the Port Charles Hotel. "I know where how to navigate through the place. Thanks."

Somewhat disappointed, Simon inclined his head and retreated back to his station at the front desk. His assignment, as Mrs. Corinthos has instructed, was completed.

Flicking on every light switch as he made his way down into the bowels of the Metro Court, Lucky made a mental list of all the things he needed to do in the coming weeks to get his life back in order. Family has always been important him, no matter where and what he was doing. He had to find the people that was causing trouble in Lulu's life and put an end to that. To that end, he was going to have to start asking some questions from people that Mac didn't want him talking to. But this was his sister's life; he wasn't going to comprise on that; he wasn't going to fail his baby sister again. Another thing, he had no desire to give up his place in little Cameron's life; blood or not, Cameron was his son and he was going to make sure he had some rights in the boy's life. Seeing Alexis about drafting divorce papers would be a good starting point to move on without Liz and his children… his son. Lucky had to remind himself that the baby Liz carried wasn't his… would never be his.

The painful wave of sadness and despair washed over Lucky for a moment and he had pause to pull his thoughts away from the dark and dangerous place it wanted to go. Dwelling on the pain didn't make it better, didn't fix the problem. He has to fix this and move on… get pass all the dangerous things that tempted him back into that dark place in his life. And he's got to learn to hold onto his anger and think rationally. He couldn't let his emotions endanger him and his loved one anymore.

The clicking of something hitting metal pulled Lucky's attention back to his task at hand. The weird concierge guy was right; there was definitely something besides furniture and banquet equipment down here. Reaching over, Lucky hit two of the four light switches on the wall, dimming the long halls that bisected the basement. Flipping on his flashlight, Lucky aimed high and was thankful for his superior height. Assailants tend not to look up at the big bright flashlight when they attack.

A sharp sound echoed through the halls again. Holding himself perfectly still to gage direction, Lucky slipped his gun out and flicked the safety off with his forefinger. The sound came again, this time closer and a little louder as he approached a closed door. The light beneath the door gave Lucky pause and he watched it for a moment until a shadow passed through.

Glancing briefly at the "Furnace" plaque glue to the wall, he turned the flashlight off and set it silently to the side. Bracing his feet, Lucky reached out slowly and placed his hand on the handle of the door. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the heavy metal insulated door open with one hand and brought his gun point into view with the other. "Freeze, PCPD."

Still holding the match she had been attempting to light the candle in front of her with, Liz slowly turned her head to look at her husband. "Hello Lucky."

Lowering his gun, his finger automatically switching the safety on, Lucky stared in disbelief. Liz had turned the Metro Court furnace room into a sea of softly scented white candles; various sizes and shapes were scattered on almost every conceivable surface in the room. A bottle of sparkling cider and two crystal flutes sat on the ground along with a pale yellow book, one he recognized only too well. "What are you doing?"

Touching the still lit match to the wick of wide pillar candle, Liz smiled serenely. "I thought it would be nice to remember so good times that we had together." She blew out the match with a quick poof of air and smoothed out her dress discreetly. The pale blonde lace dress she wore was made to flatter and hide her growing girth. "It's time, don't you think?"

Surveying the room, Lucky noted that she had lit the room entirely by candle. "Are you crazy?" holstering the gun and coming into the room at last. "This is a furnace room, there are gases in here."

Holding her breath, Elizabeth watched as the heavy metal door closed behind Lucky with a little thump. Lucky didn't even react to it but moved toward cautiously toward the far end of the room, to the industrial size furnace used to heat the luxurious hotel above them. Knowing that he was here and he cared, Liz felt something warm inside of her. "I checked the coverings and measured the gas emissions. Carly had installed two fail-safe lockdowns if there is a gas leak. We're perfectly safe."

Staring at her in stunned disbelief, it took a moment for Lucky to register what she had just said. "How did you know… Did you ask Carly about this place?"

"How did you think I arranged all this?" she asked with a quick mischievous smile as she picked up the sparkling cider. "Thirsty?"

Lucky backed away slowly. He didn't trust himself. "What do you want, Elizabeth?"

Cautioning herself to take it slow, she had all night, Liz kept her continence. "I just want to talk, Lucky, somewhere where we won't be interrupted or…"

"Liz…" he closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. And in the space of one breath and the next he suddenly remembered something else. Opening his eyes, he stared around the room with the hundred glowing candles. It reminded him of another place and time, another Lucky and Liz – young and hopeful and so very much in love, they had the whole wide world in front of them and, more importantly, they had each other. Elizabeth had recreated that little chapel in the woods where they took shelter that beautiful, perfect winter when they were together and took their vows under stars and in god's house with a hundred candles lighting their way.

Where had those bright eyed innocent kids gone? How had life turned so terrible wrong for them when they had everything – including the perfect love?

"I have to get out of here," Lucky muttered as he turned around.

"Lucky please?" Liz pleaded. "Just give me ten minutes to say my peace."

"I can't do this," he replied in anguish, a torrid of emotions rushing through him. All the memories he and Elizabeth had built, all the promises and vows of love and forever. "I just can't do this." He reached the door and pulled hard.

The door didn't give.

He yanked at it again.

It was locked.

He turned and stared at Liz. She didn't say a word, she didn't need to; it was all in her eyes as she watched him sadly. "Where's the key?"

"There isn't one," she replied softly. "And the intruder door locks behind you to trap you in here on the off chance that someone came to mess with the furnace. We're trapped here - together."

_To be continued…_

Feedback anyone?


	12. Different Approach

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it was, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Maxie wants to do something stupid, Liz pleads her case, Carly realizes something important and Morales does the unexpected.

**Timeline**: So far off the cannon that it hurts to think about it.

**Author's Note**: I love writing for Lorenzo but I can't stand to write Sonny scenes. I tried… I really did try but they all came out terrible. I stopped when my brain started to rebel and my fingers cramped from agony of it all.

Oh, and I've decided that Johnny needs to be in this story. He's so fabulous on GH that it doesn't seem right that I don't write for him here. Now… the question is: how do I fold him in?

**Plot Notes**: (There are certain scenes that I just don't find that I want to write. This is where I will post scenes that has happened but which I decide not to go into details about. Moves the plot along faster this way too.) Sonny and Lorenzo have met to discuss their mutual threat and have agreed to close ranks to keep out General Morales. A tentative truce has been called between the two organization until Morales has been dealt with. Lorenzo has asked that since he brought Morales into Port Charles that he be the one to eliminate the problem. Sonny couldn't agree more.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

**

* * *

Chapter 12 – Different Approach

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**

Slamming her purse violently onto the countertop, Maxie clinched her teeth and fumed. She had waited and waited and waited in that tiny little room above Kelly's for Coop to show up… like she thought he would. But not only did Coop not show, he didn't even call. And when she checked in with the station, dispatch had oh-so-helpfully informed her that Coop was out on assignment, i.e. he was with Lulu.

"What will it be?" the bartender asked, carefully eyeing her a moment. There isn't a crook in town that didn't know who the commissioner's daughters were. And Coleman was a crook, through and through.

"Tequila," Maxie ordered with dark thoughts, "and leave the bottle," handing her credit card over.

Taking the credit card, Coleman hesitated a split second, wondering if he should ask for ID, not that he cared. The kid looked young, maybe too young, but there was a way she was carrying herself that made him think that she wasn't so young that she couldn't drink. Business had been slow… and growing slower by the day. A bottle of tequila wasn't going to hurt anyone. Twisting the cap off, he slammed the pourer into place before placing the bottle and a clean shot glass before young Ms. Jones. "Enjoy."

Barely offering a thanks in the form of a half twisted smile, Maxie poured her first shot and inhaled it with a sigh. There was nothing like the sweet taste of bad alcohol to chase the anger away. Three more shots followed in secession and like form followed by a handful of salted peanuts.

"Should you really be doing that?"

Maxie turned, her eyes no longer quite focusing properly, and smiled vaguely at the newcomer. "Why not?"

Cruz rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning to Coleman. "You checked her ID?"

Shrugging his shoulder, Coleman reached over and dropped Maxie's credit in front of her. Maybe if he didn't answer, the cop (because he damn well smelled like a cop) will assume that the kid gave a fake ID to get herself a drink.

Because the possibilities were endless and this was Maxie Jones, Crux could only sit down and order a beer. He needed it after the night he's had. The phone call to his dear mother had been stupidly careless on his part. It took him nearly half an hour to talk her down and another half hour to assure her that he was fine and no one was going to take him away from her. He had felt lower than a snake's belly when he hung up, knowing that his mother was going to be worrying about him no matter what kind of reassurances he gave her. He didn't want her worrying about him, not after all the worrying she's done all these years over their safety, but he also needed her to be on her guard. There was no telling what's going to happen now that Enrico has found them.

And then the night shift started… and all hell seemed to have broken loose.

"What's eating you?" Maxie asked as she tossed a peanut into the air and caught it with her mouth. "Hey Coleman, can I have some olives?"

"Where do you think this is? The Metro Court?" Coleman rolled his eyes at her and placed sliced lemons in a tumbler for her. "Try these."

Making a face, Maxie sucked on lemons a moment before turning to Cruz, "Well?"

"Not sure what you're talking about," he answered and took a long pull from the bottle.

"Oh please," she shook her head and swayed dangerously on her stool for a moment. "No one drinks at," she squinted at her watch for a moment, "Ten in the morning unless they have a damn good reason to."

Raising one brow at that logic, "And you're excuse would be…"

"Lulu Spencer," she spat out in disgust. "Perfect little Lulu Spencer, prodigal daughter of the sainted Laura Spencer, with her baby blue eyes, sun kissed blonde hair, cute little button nose, toothpaste commercial teeth and Tom Cruise dimples." She bit down on a lemon and didn't even make a face. "God, I hate her."

"Yeah, I can see how you might ," Cruz mused with a quick smile.

But Maxie wasn't really listening. "What the hell does she have that the rest of the female population don't? I mean, what is it about her that's got Coop falling all over himself to protect her? I mean, it's not like they were actually trying to kill _her_. It was Jason and Carly these people are after, Lulu just got lucky."

"I'm not sure if getting shot is considered lucky," Cruz interjected.

"Okay, so she's suppose to be this big-hearted person," Maxie continued on as if Cruz hadn't spoken, "And my own sister seem to think she's this great and wonderful misunderstood soul despite the fact that she broke up Georgie and Dillon and then had an abortion. I mean, how good of a person is she if she's willing to kill her own kid?"

"A damn good one if she's thinking about both herself and the kid," Cruz added with a shrug. "There are some women that don't know the difference and by having the child put themselves and their child in harm's way."

Maxie turned and squinted at Cruz. "What?"

Toying with the half empty beer bottle in his hand, Cruz thought back to the days when he and his mother had been prisoners under the guise of home. His mother would have been an teacher had she had not him. She would have gone to the university and gotten an education, a real one, if she hadn't chose to carry him. Her life wouldn't have been in danger, she wouldn't have had to leave her family and friends behind for a dangerous trip to the United States. How much easier her life would have been without him?

"Yo?" Maxie waved an unsteady hand in front of Cruz's face. "Anyone tell you that it's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you?"

"Anyone tell you that you're quite a pain in the ass?" he asked looking at the nearly empty tequila bottle in her hand. "Did you drink all that?"

"Yup!" she proclaimed proudly and poured another shot.

"You want to slow down with that?" his mind trying to remember just how old Maxie Jones was. The commissioner would have his head if he let something happened to one of his precious daughters.

She gave him an incredulous look. "Why would I want to do _that_?" Giggling, she poured herself another shot, spill a good amount on the none too clean counter.

"Okay," taking the bottle from her. Before he could stop her, she down the shot in her other hand. "I think that's enough for you."

"Hardly," she sighed as she leaned suddenly against him, her lips precariously close to his face. "Anyone ever tell you that you've got a great smile?"

"My mother does all the time," he said setting the bottle upright on the counter.  
This was bad.

"Well, she's a very smart woman," Maxie replied with another giggle as she draped herself on him. "Your mom and dad must be very good looking people 'cause you're beyond just cute." She touched his dimple with the tip of one finger, misjudging the weight of her hand. "And you've got really great hair."

"Thank you, I'll be sure to tell my mother that too the next time I see her," he helped her stand up straight, then had to support her with one arm as her knees gave out the minute she put any weight on them. "You're going to make me carry you out of here, aren't you?"

"Depends," she whispered a little too close for comfort.

"On?" looking over her shoulders for her purse.

"Where we're going," she smiled seductively, her eyes dropping to half mast.

Cruz felt the temperature rise a few degrees. "We're going to go somewhere nice. Some place you're going to like."

"Is there a bed there?"

Grabbing her purse, he maneuver the delicately dainty Ms. Jones around his arm, "Oh, there will most assuredly be a bed,"

"Good," she laughed sweetly into his ear, "I like places with beds in them."

"I'm most certain that you do," he replied and escorted her out of Jake's.

-&-&-&-

Lowering herself as gracefully as she could attempt, Liz sat on the ground and waited for Lucky to react. His silence was unnerving. This wasn't the Lucky she'd come to expect in the last few years with his uncontrollable rages and tendency to lash out when he was confronted with something he didn't like. This Lucky was taking a moment, letting himself take in the anger and dealing with it… the Lucky she knew before the drugs and the booze and the lying and the cheating and… and the pain. God, the sweet loving Lucky she knew as a girl, the one that got her through the worse times of her, before life took a toll on his soul was the one standing before her now, attempting to assimilate everything.

"Liz…"

"You use to like cider," she interrupted, patting the space next to her.

"I don't want to do this," Lucky told her carefully. He couldn't be here – being this close to her was a torturous nightmare.

"I just want to talk," Liz replied easily, carefully. She was only going to get this one chance to set thing right. Lucky wasn't going to fall for this kind of thing twice so she had to make the best of it.

"We've talked," Lucky answered carefully, not leaving his position by the door. If he thought he could break the door down without breaking his shoulder, he'd have done it by now. The floral scent reminded him of his first wedding to her. Good god, was it only just two years before? How did their love go so wrong in so short of a time? "I think we've done all the talking we need to."

"You didn't," she replied calmly, watching him with sad wet eyes. "You didn't even say anything. You just walked away. Why? Why didn't you stay and fight for us?"

Lucky didn't answer her. He didn't want to tell her that he was tired for fighting, tried of trying again and again to make it work. Love should not be this hard, or this angry all the time. Love shouldn't mean hurting each other over and over again until one of them finally broke… which in this case was him. He didn't want to keep fighting, keep hurting her and himself in the process. He walked away because he simply had to.

"I'm fighting for us, Lucky," she told him quietly, softly but with a firmness that had always been one of the reasons he loved her. Elizabeth Webber was no wilting flower. "I'm not giving up on what we have."

"There is no 'us' anymore, Liz," Lucky stated very dully, wondering how he could possibly have gotten himself into this position.

"There is always an 'us,' whether you'd like to admit it or not. We've been friends, lover, soul mates too long for you to deny that there is an 'us' involved here."

"We can't keep doing this, Liz," he said tiredly, leaning against the wall.

"What?" she wanted to know. "Loving each other?"

He looked at her with defeated eyes – eyes that broke her heart. "We've played this game before Liz. Coming together, hurting each other, breaking up; coming together, hurting each other, breaking up. The cycle has to end. I can't… I can't do it anymore."

"It's doesn't have to be this way," she pleaded.

"Yes, yes it does," he replied suddenly desperate to make her understand that there is no going back to where they were. There was no maybe's in his mind anymore. It was over. It was just over. "I can't fight you and this addiction at the same time, Liz. I don't have the energy to do battle on two fronts. I can't keep trying to go forward if I'm always looking back. I can't… I won't."

"Lucky, I love you. I know that we've hurt each other in the past but we can find our way back to what we were if you'd just…"

"No," he took a breath, wishing he hadn't shouted the word, the denial. "We can't go back. I don't want to go back. I just want the hurting to stop. I just want my life to be okay again. I don't want to be the guy that made you cry. I don't want this anymore."

"You're not that man," Liz argued as she struggled to her feet. "You're not that person any more. You can never be that person again. Please Lucky, just come home. I need you. Our baby needs you."

"I don't have a baby," Lucky said quietly, sadly. "Not really."

"How can you say that?" approaching him in anguish.

"Cameron is Zander Smith's, remember?" he reminded her calmly, without any bitterness toward her or the fact. "Cam is my son in every way that counts but I cannot forget that he is Zander's biological child. And the baby you're carrying now," his eyes went to the gentle swell beneath the glazy materials of her dress, "it's Jason Morgan's child, not mine. I get that," he nodded, to himself and to her, "I've accepted that. I may even be okay with it now. But I can't ever forget that it's not my kid you're carrying and that you lied to me about it for months now; married me again without ever once telling me."

"I wanted to tell, Lucky. I debated it with myself so many times I've lost count," she tried to explain. "But I was afraid that you'd go back to the pills and start with the lying and the…"

"Don't," he asked tiredly, "Please let's not rehash all this again. I don't want to fight over it anymore."

"Lucky, I just want to…"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Lucky interrupted calmly, rationally and with a resolve he didn't actually feel but felt he must express if he was going to make it through this. "I can't be in this if you can't trust me about something this big. We need to stop hurting each other." He looked at her, his eyes telling her all the things his lips had been saying over and over again; it's over. "Please open the door."

If there was even a hint of uncertainty, even a minor stray thought that gave her any hope, she would have stood her ground and fought it out. But her final lie had been the nail in the coffin of what once was thought to be the greatest love since Luke and Laura. She's lost him, lost him for good this time. All he wanted from her was to get away. The tears came unabatedly as she reached into her dress and pulled out the silver key to the door. "Lucky…" she sobbed as she pressed the warm key into his outstretched hand. "I love you." She closed her hand over his, holding the key between their hands for a moment. "I don't know how to do this without you."

Pulling away, Lucky tried for a reassuring smile even as he felt something cracking in his chest, "You'll be all right, Liz. I have faith in your strength."

"I have faith in us," she told him.

He unlocked the door and faced her once more to return the key, "There is no 'us' anymore, Liz." He hesitated but didn't deny himself just this one last time. Leaning over, he kissed her square in the mouth; a passionate possessive kiss that he hoped would put an end to the pain he felt inside. Before she could reach for him, he pulled back, hating himself for feeling the wonderment that came with such an intimate act. Touching her face and memorizing this last moment, "Goodbye."

-&-&-&-

The plane was exactly where it should have been with the correct number of guards and the correct number of people onboard. Michael and Morgan, so use to these unexpected suddenly trips out of town, thought nothing of it as they were loaded onto the plane with video games, portable DVD players and stern warning not to misbehave. Bobbie and Lucas were more difficult to deal with as mother and son both protested over the unexpected disruption of their lives but neither one put up much fight in front of the boys. Carly, on the other hand, made her unhappiness known to one and all by glaring darkly at _everyone_.

When Jason took her by the arm and escorted her off the plane, Carly had been so surprised by the move that she didn't even think to protest. With a quick word to Bobbie and a warning to the guards, Jason sent the plane off without Carly on it as first discussed.

"You want to tell me what the hell just happened?" Carly demanded as she struggled to keep up with Jason's long strides.

"They're not going to the island," he explained as they headed for another waiting plane. "And neither are you. Too many people know about that place for it to be completely safe."

"What?" tripping over her heels as her confusion distracted her from the uneven grounds, "Where are we going?"

"Plane," pointing into the distance.

"I already figured that part out all by myself. Where are my boys going?" not ever having to question Jason about their safety. He would have seen to it. Jason loved the boys second to none… except maybe his soon to be born son. Carly felt a twinge.

"France," Jason answered. "I've arranged a chateau in the South of France for them with extra guards; no one from the business so they shouldn't trigger anyone."

"And where am I going?"

"Florida," he replied, nodding to the waiting pilot waiting patiently for them.

"Florida? Why?" following Jason into the plane.

"No one will expect you to be there," Jason looked at her as if she was purposely being obtuse.

"Um… Jason? Did you forget that I grew up in Florida?"

"When was the last time you were there?" he wanted to know.

She thought about it.

"You haven't exactly hide the fact that you didn't like your last life before you became Carly Roberts. No one will be expecting you back in Florida. It's a good place to stash you for a while."

"Are you staying with me?" surprised by this sudden change in security plans. Jason looked at her for a second as they both strapped in for the take off. "How did the meeting go with Lorenzo?"

"Fine," he answered as the engine roared to life. He didn't need to mention that Sonny had been seething with anger afterwards. Thanks to Alcazar's foolish move they now had a mad unpredictable man to deal with. "Alcazar lost control of a situation and now…"

"Lost control of a situation," Carly repeated carefully, rolling the idea off her tongue like it was a physical facet of the problem at hand, "Like when he lost control of those men that took my hotel hostage?"

"Not quite," Jason reached over and checked her seatbelt.

"Stop that," slapping his hand away. "I'm not a child."

"Then stop behaving like one," he admonished.

"Well stop keeping things from me and maybe I will," Carly shot back a little more sharply then expected.

Jason glanced at her again. The sullenness in her tone was new. "Are you still mad that I didn't tell you about the baby?"

She gave him a look that was pure Carly. "Is that even a question you need to ask?"

"Carly…" he started to ask her to leave it be but stopped. He's working for hours now and all he wanted now was to have a nice quiet little plane ride – though why he thought Carly would help in that aspect was well beyond his comprehension. It wasn't going to do any good anyways to try to stop her and he was more likely to get some rest if he just let her vent her spleen. Carly didn't suffer unhappiness in silence and she's been unhappy with him for a while; it amazed him that she's been able to hold her tongue until now.

"Seven months, Jason," she said quietly with a splash of irritation in her tone. "You couldn't find a few minutes in the last seven months to tell me that you were going to be a dad?"

"I've only known since March," he replied, feeling slightly weird by the fact that he was defending himself to the non-shouting Carly. She was usually much more vocal.

Shaking her head at him, Carly mentally counted to ten like he's forever telling her to do. She was learning, slowly but surely she was learning to control herself and be the sensible, rational person she knew she could be. Besides which, another break down would surely cost her something more than just her sanity. "You've known long enough to have told me," she replied in a voice that was a great deal softer than he had expected.

Jason turned and looked at her. They've never really talked about it, the situation with Liz and the baby, and he had always assumed that she was accepting it in the way that Carly accepts anything. "I was trying to protect my child."

"How'd that work out for you?" she asked sarcastically as she sat back and counted to a hundred. "I'm suppose to be your best friend. I tell you every detail of my life."

"Whether I like it or not," he muttered hoping for a little humor to lighten the heavy barrier he could almost feel coming down between them.

Turning sharply on him, Carly let him know in one look that she wasn't playing around. "You could have told me in all the time between when you knew and now. You _could_ have told me."

He didn't have an excuse for that. He hadn't even thought of why he hadn't told her. Maybe it was because he knew that Carly loved kids and she wouldn't be able to understand why he wasn't claiming his. Maybe it be because he knew she didn't like Liz and wasn't sure what the reaction would be other than painful. Maybe he didn't tell her because… because he didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes when she realized that he had another priority above her, a situation that was known to upset her. Whatever the case may be, he hadn't told her and she was upset by this. "The fewer people that knew, the less chances that…"

"We're suppose to be best friends," Carly seethed quietly in her corner of the seat, her mind racing to bad places. "We're suppose to be able to rely on each other."

"I don't tell you everything, Carly."

"No, apparently not," she said bitterly as she crossed her arms and held back the hurt that always seem to rise when she remembered that Jason had kept the biggest secret of his life and shared it with someone that Carly despised: perfect little princess Elizabeth. The thought gnawed at her.

"Carly, if I thought it was important enough for you to know…"

"So now I'm not important to you, is that it?"

"That's not what I'm saying," he replied annoyed that she was twisting his words around on him. "All I'm saying is…"

"Don't talk, Jason. Okay?" Carly's said quietly, her heart hurting. "Just don't talk anymore; you're making it worse."

Jason stared at her for a moment in questioning surprised. "Carly…"

"You don't trust me."

"Of course I trust you," resigned to the fact that this was going to be one of those conversations where he will never be able to win.

"No," she reasoned out slowly, excruciatingly slow as she dragged out the word while all the pieces came together in her mind, "No, you _really_ don't. You don't trust me." The thought punctured something vulnerable inside of her. "You don't trust me," she murmured to more to herself than anything, committing it to her mind and heart.

"Carly," Jason reached over and tried to get her attention.

"Don't touch me," she whispered devastatingly, getting up and moving to another seat in a hurry. "Just leave me alone."

"Carly, you're being ridiculous," Jason rebuke unenthusiastically.

"No, no I'm not," Carly replied in dismay as her mind went full circle and came back to the same damn conclusion. "You don't trust me, that's why you didn't tell me about your baby. That's why I had to find out from someone else instead of you."

"You're being irrational," he said, a little more than just concerned by the way she was looking at him, cautiously and with a great deal with anger and… Was that distrust he saw in her eyes? For the first time since they've known each other, Carly was looking at him as if he was a stranger.

"I'm not being irrational," she told him despairingly. "I'm being the most rational I've been in a long time. I get it now. I'm okay to be around but not to be trusted, right? I'm just the funny little friend you have that gets herself into trouble and comes running to Jason for help. I'm the person that tells you ever tiny little detail of her life and you _let_ believe that she's your best friend even though in reality she's just another job to you; someone Sonny tells you to look after when she's being all irrational and stupid. I can't count on Sonny or Jax to be there but I can always count on you, right? After all, you're suppose to be my best friend. Only it's not a two ways street, is it? You don't count on me, don't trust me, don't come to me when you need help. You don't need me at all; I'm just someone to bring you drama and entertainment." She felt the painfully hot tears fill her eyes and refused to let them fall. Getting up, she headed for the bathroom.

"Carly, where are you going?" he asked, shocked at the weirdly soft outburst but more so by the words spoken.

"To not cause you any more problems." Carly swallowed hard against the rising pain in her throat and rushed out of the main cabin, hoping that he would follow her to reassure her that she was his best friend and she could be trusted but knowing that that wasn't Jason's style at all. Jason would just sit back and let her do her thing. Jason was strangely predictable that way. Shutting the door, she barely made it in time to empty her stomach in the toilet, sickening by her own thoughts. _"Jason doesn't trust me. He didn't deny it, not really. He thinks I'm being childish and irrational but he didn't deny it when I said he didn't trust me. My best friend doesn't trust me… which means he's not really my best friend, is he?"_ The realization made her cry.

-&-&-&-

Georgie opened the front door and stood there staring in shock.

"You want to let me in?" Cruz asked with a grunt as he forced Georgie to back up. "Light she may be but she's no feather."

"What happened?" Georgie asked in dismay.

"Tequila," was his undisguised amused answer. "And lots of it. Where's her room?"

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Georgie pointed up the stairs then led the way. She opened the door to Maxie's disaster area of a room and kicked clothes out of the way to make a path for Detective Rodriguez. Tossing more clothes scattered over the bed, she yanked the duvet back and moved aside for the detective to deposit her sister into the bed. Shaking her head, George pulled Maxie's shoes and socks off, removed the jewelry on her hands, pulled the blankets over Maxie and moved the wastebasket closer to the bed. Shaking out two aspirins from the bottle on the nightstand, she went and got a glass of water to set beside the pills. Giving a resigned sigh, Georgie checked the room one more time and turned to Detective Rodriguez with an apologetic smile.

"Is that routine?" Leaving the room, Cruz wondered at how very different the Jones girls turned out. Georgie Jones was known to be the good girl, the wise one, the sweet one, the one that always took care of her family. Maxie Jones was the wild child, the destructive one, the do-as-you-please girl that gave her adoptive father fits. And yet they were both the daughters of the infamous Frisco and Felicia Jones, world traveled thrill seekers with a hunger for justice. How could two sisters be so different?

Then again, he was a police officer and his brother was in the mob business. How could two brothers be on such different sides of the law?

"I know what to do when she shows up a little less then… put together. Thank you," Georgie said quietly, seeing the look on Cruz's face, knowing what the detective must be thinking of her sister.

"She's hurting something bad," Cruz replied just as quietly, just as softly and with the kind of understanding that he didn't have to look too hard to find. "What's the deal between her and Lulu Spencer?"

Groaning, Georgie headed downstairs. "Maxie hates Lulu because she needs someone to hate. Lulu was a convenient target because of what happened with me and Dillon; but there were problems in the relationship that had nothing to do with Maxie or even Lulu. Lulu hates Maxie for helping her brother get addicted to painkillers," she glanced at him, "but you already knew that." He nodded in response. "Maxie gets a perverse kind of pleasure in provoking Lulu every chance she gets and Lulu doesn't walk away from it because that's just the way she is."

Laughing over the teenage drama, "And where does Cooper Barrett fit into all this?"

Hesitating a moment, "Promise you won't tell my dad?"

He crossed his heart with a quick infectious grin.

"He and Maxie was dating."

"Oh, that's not going to go over well with the commissioner."

"No," Georgie admitted with a reluctant laugh, "It really wouldn't."

Shaking his head, Cruz looked up the stairs for a moment before disclosing what little he knew. "Something happened between Cooper and Maxie that's got her all riled up over Lulu. She was drowning her issues with tequila and lemons with a dash of peanuts. I'd keep a closer eye on her if I were you."

"I will," Georgie promised with a grateful smile. "Thank you for bringing her home and for…" she didn't know how to say it without making assumptions or throwing a bad light on her sister's habits.

Cruz took pity on the blushing younger girl. "And for not taking advantage of her when she threw herself at me?"

Mortified, "I'm so sorry Maxie did that. She's…"

"It's all right," Cruz reassured her, "It won't go beyond me."

"Thank you," she closed her eyes in grief for the outrageous behavior her sister exhibits when she was hurt. "Maxie doesn't know how to deal with rejection very well."

"Is that what's happening? She's feeling rejected?"

Nodding her head, "Coop chose to do his job and protect Lulu over trying to reassure Maxie of her insecurities." Biting her lip, Georgie considered it and then dismissed the idea of lying to protect Maxie's pride. "She's jealous because she thinks Coop's a little too interested in Lulu right now and Maxie does stupid things when she's upset."

Cruz nodded with understanding and sympathized with the sister. "We all make mistakes. I'm just glad that I was there to make sure this one didn't go too far."

Georgie sighed, "Me too."

-&-&-&-

General Morales eyed the man carefully, noting the steely gaze of a man that's done quite a bit of dirty business in his days. Alcazar's actions has forced Morales' hand. Obviously, Lorenzo Alcazar was no longer interested in any business dealings regarding moving shipments through Port Charles. But harbors of Port Charles were the only openings to the North East corridors that Morales can use to move contrabands. So now he must search for another means of securing ways to force Corinthos into opening his ports. _("Discretion is advised at this point.")_ The translator he had brought along conveyed the message with the same monotone that he had used through the whole meeting, no more significant than if he were announcing the weather. _("Both Corinthos and Alcazar are very much alerted to my presence.")_

_("Mr. Alcazar has never shown such indiscretion before.")_

_("He has also never married before.")_

_("And the former Mrs. Alcazar?")_

_("Protected well.")_ Morales' most discreet men have not yet been able to locate the thrice wed Mrs. Corrinthos and the now divorced Mrs. Alcazar. It was more than just a little frustrating. _("We are still looking of course but Corinthos' enforcer has been most diligent in his duties and Mr. Alcazar has decided to cooperate with Corinthos' plans for their mutual former wife.")_

_("So we've heard.") _There was a long pause as the other man considered the situation for a moment, fiddling with the photos General Morales had brought with him. _("This other girl, the one that was injured outside of Jason Morgan's house, who is she?")_

Morales turned to one of his men speaking in rapid Spanish, which was answered in quick precise answers. _("Mrs. Corinthos' cousin, Lesley Lu Spencer.")_

_("And how does she fit into this?")_

_("Not certain but Alcazar and Corinthos have both placed her under protection.")_

_("So she's important,")_ was the conclusion.

Nodding his head in concession, Morales allowed, _("She is important to Carly Corinthos Alcazar.")_

_("And the former missus is very important to Loranzo Alcazar and Sonny Corinthos.) _A mirthless smile came over the other man's aged face. _("Then young Ms. Spencer is important to us.")_ Standing to signify that the meeting was over, Trevor Lansing offered his hand with the smug confidence of a man use to giving orders and carrying them out. "On behalf of the Zacchara family, I can assure you that we will have those shipments out to you soon. Corinthos will not be a problem."

_To be continue…_

Feedback? Thoughts? Complaints?


	13. Blindsided

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it was, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Enrico makes an appeal, Spinelli and Maxie both make a mistake, Lucky gets an unexpected call, Lulu runs and Jason is torn.

**Timeline**: Over the rainbow and bulldozed by the flying monkeys.

**Author's Note**: So last week gave me hope that here's going to be a new SUPERCOUPLE in the form of Lulu and Johnny. I'm really looking forward to that story and the return of Sarah Brown. And while I'm still looking forward to the storyline that GH is planning but I think I'll write my own for now. Also, I knew the Carly/Jason scenes were coming with the "Jake's Jason's son" storyline and it was about as predictable as rain in London. Seriously, no one could have come up with something a little more interesting and original? It kills me to see the same thing over and over again… what happen to entertainment? What happened to character growth? What happen to the Jason I liked way back in the… oh, that just gave my age away! (sigh)

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

**

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Chapter 13 - Blindsided

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The best things in life weren't free… or easy to come by. Family isn't always strong, isn't always loyal. Love isn't always given generously, or easily. And like everything else in his life, Enrico knew that he had to earn it. His next move isn't going to be easy or taken very kindly but he knew that if he was going to breach the wounds of the past, he had to make an effort for the future.

With a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

The years have been kind to Anita Louisa Santiago. Her hair was only streaked with gray and her face delicately lined with age. She was still beautiful in all the ways that counted, eyes bright with intelligence and a will of iron. She didn't flinched, didn't scream, didn't even slam the door on the face that so resembled the man that's haunted her nightmares for a better part of three decades. She stood here, silent and calm; as if she had expected this day for a long time.

_("Good evening, Senora.")_

And though she hasn't spoke the language of her childhood in many years, Anita reverted back to it easily enough. _("I know who you are.")_

_("I very much doubt that, Senora.")_ Enrico indicated the door. _("May I enter?")_

_("And if I say no?")_

_("Then I shall stand here until you give me permissions to do so,")_ he didn't move a muscle. _("I've come to ask for your help.")_

Good manners taught from birth was the only thing that kept Anita from spitting in the man's face. Good manners and memories of a young boy, no older than her own child, reaching out to hold her hand as she wept by the fountain, torn between love and fear. _("Come in,") _pulling the door wider and stepping back.

_("Thank you,")_ Enrico bowed and entered the tiny little apartment in a quiet neighborhood just outside of Boston. It was bigger on the inside than he thought but still small compared to the homes Enrico has grown accustomed to. _("I will not trifle with your intelligence by making small talk.") _She gave him an approving nod. _("As you are probably aware, I've spoke with Cruz.")_

_("Yes,")_ she indicated the couch as she sat, _("My son has called.")_

_("No doubt to warn you of my presence.")_

_("No doubt.") She gave him no indication as to her thoughts._

_("I did not come here to create trouble for you or for Cruz. It is most unfortunate that our paths have crossed in this manner though, I must admit, I am not all together sorry for the meeting. It has been some time now.")_

Anita's eyes went cold. _("Not long enough for my liking. My son and I do not need the likes of the Rodriguez family name to taint us.")_

_("Then it is a wonder that you allowed my brother to keep his name.")_

Saying nothing to this, _("What do you want, Enrico?")_

Leaning back, Enrico considered it a moment longer than needed as he already knew what he wanted in this life. _("Cruz is bitter over the past, things I cannot change. Father is gone, long buried along with his cruelties. I would like a chance to know my brother now that we are no longer living in Father's shadow. But my brother sees not the man that I am but the man that our father was. I hoped that perhaps you will speak with him, ask him to give me a chance to make amends to him.")_

Whatever it was that Anita had expected, this had not been it. _("What else?")_

_("Nothing else,")_ Enrico replied calmly, carefully, seeing the suspicion in Anita's eyes. The woman protected her son like a hawk would their chick, a sentiment that not all mothers could say they share. Too many of Jorge Rodriguez's mistresses had abandoned their children to the mercy of a man that had none. Anita hadn't run, hadn't given up her child the way so many did. She fought to protect her son, fought to give Cruz a better life than the one that awaited him under Jorge's rule. And Enrico had nothing but respect for her courage. _("I would also like to make amends to you, Senora Santiago. For what my father had done.")_

A flicker of rage burned in Anita's eyes for a moment as the memory of her child's father invaded her mind. But just as quickly, the anger dissipated, leaving her simply tired. _("It was a long time ago, Enrico, and you were not involved.")_

_("Yes, I know,")_ if he was at the least surprised by her reaction, he didn't show it. _("But you deserve part of the fortune my father amassed through his… dealings.") _It was as safe a word as any and better than some. _("You gave him a child and gave that child his name. Father owes you something for that alone. Please let me…")_

_("I don't want money,")_ she said firmly, leaving no doubt in Enrico's mind. _("I don't want your apologies for that man, you need not bother for his sake. I have long accepted what was and what needs to be. Cruz is not bitter, he is angry and hurt and…")_ She stopped herself, refusing to let her past embitter her anymore than it has already done so. _("He had grown up to be a good man.")_

Enrico smiled ironically. _("A policeman.")_

Anita couldn't help but share the amusement. _("He thought it appropriate.") _

That brought a laugh. _("Yes, I can see that he would. And yes, he has become a good man. I have watched him closely for some time now.")_

Speculation entered Anita's eyes. _("Since you inherited your father's business?")_

Nodding in acknowledgement, Enrico marveled that his father didn't see the strength in this woman and treated her in a manner fitting of her status. _("I want my family, Senora. That's all I've ever wanted in my life.")_

The mother in Anita felt herself softening. _("I want to ask you something.")_

_("Yes?")_

_("The night I left with my Cruz, you were watching at the window.") _This time, Enrico couldn't hide his surprise. He obviously hadn't known that Anita had seen him. _("Why didn't you tell your father? Why did you allow us to leave?")_

Schooling his features carefully, _("Because Father would have killed you and my brother if he had caught you.")_

There was a silence as Anita took it in. _("You were strong as a boy and you are strong now. Your father has not beaten the goodness out of you.")_

_("Don't mistaken me, Senora. I am my father's son.")_

Anita shook her head sagely. _("No, you were never your father's son just as Cruz will never walk in that monster's path.") _With a sigh of resignation and maybe just a touch of relief, _("I will speak with your brother. I cannot say that he will ever allow himself to see you as family but I will speak with him; for his sake and yours.")_

There was a kind of softness in her that reminded Enrico of his own dearly departed mother, the saint of a woman sold to his father in a financial alliance that sucked the very soul out of her. _("Thank you., I will find a way to repay you.")_

_("I do not do this for you, Enrico. I do this for my son. It is good that he has family.")_

_("He has always had family, he just needed to acknowledge us.")_

Nodding in acceptance of that, Anita warned him, _("My son is stubborn. You will have a great mountain to climb.")_

The smile that graced Enrico's face was pure arrogance and delight. _("That's quite all right. I am always ready for a fight… if the cause is worth the effort. And for my family, it is always a worthwhile battle.")_

-&-&-&-

Lulu glanced around the darkened room, noting the closed curtains and dustcovers on every imaginable surface. "Nice place."

"It's temporary," Coop replied, putting the two overnight bags on the floor, glancing around the place with some trepidation. "Jason assured me that the place is secured and only a few people know where we are. There's going to be someone coming by later to hook up more security. We should be pretty safe here."

Pulling back sheets from the couch, "This place looks abandoned."

"It probably is," Coop helped to pull more dustcovers from the furniture, keeping a close eye on Lulu all the while. Though she hadn't complain once about the new raw wounds from her latest trauma that hadn't even gotten a chance to heal yet, he knew that they were hurting her from the careful way she was moving and the occasional strain in her voice as she pressed a hand to her side. "You want some pain killers?"

"No," she shook her head slowly, wishing for the room to stop spinning, and sat down. Her head hurt worse than before and the binding around her middle were tighter and more difficult to adjust to. "I like the pain."

"Really?" amused by the way she said it.

"It better than the alternative," she replied with a sigh. Looking around, she noted a few familiar things about the place. "I've been here before."

"What?" distracted from exploring the various entrances to the room.

"I've been here before… a long time ago," she glanced around again, noting the stairwell, the fireplace. "That door leads to the kitchen, and that one leads to the back of the house and to the door to the basement. There's four bedrooms up the stairs with…" she closed her eyes, seeing the layout in her mind, "the two bedrooms on the left side sandwiching a full bath. The other two bedrooms are on the right are suites. The suite furthers from the stairs has an opening to the attic." She looked up at him. "Am I right?"

Coop didn't say anything as he looked at the stair winding up the left side of the room. "I've never been here before so I wouldn't know."

"Go check it out," she suggested helpfully.

"And leave you on your own?"

"There's like no one here," she informed him exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at him. "If we're where I think we are, there's like nothing but country road for like six miles in each direction. You can hear people coming from like a mile away."

"And where exactly do you think we are?" kneeling down to pull out his backup weapon.

"I would say about ten miles outside of Port Charles and east of…" her train of thought got derailed. "What are you doing?" Lulu asked as she leaned as far back as she could to look at him. "Is that a gun?"

"How did you think I was going to protect you?" he asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She didn't respond; didn't even blink when Cooper placed the small handgun in her palms. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

Lulu gave him a blatant 'are you stupid?' look. "I'm Luke Spencer's daughter," she informed him as she flipped open the small revolver and spun the cylinder, flipping the chamber back in a practiced move. "I knew how to shoot before I knew how to play baseball." She considered it for a moment, "I knew how to pick a lock before I knew how to play baseball. Actually, I don't think anyone's ever taught me how to play baseball. Football, yeah; but baseball?"

"That's an interesting education you got there," Coop mused as he pulled his service weapon and checked the room again. "I'm going to scout the rest of the house, stay here and stay quiet. If someone comes through the front door, shoot first and ask questions later."

"What if it's the guy that's doing security?" she asked, holding the gun in one hand and pressing the other subtly to her side. Her wound hurt bad but she didn't want to take anything for it… not yet, especially since her head finally cleared up enough for her to walk straight again.

"They know to come through the back," he answered and headed toward the back of the house first.

Sighing, Lulu shook her head, "It's Carly's!"

"What is?" wishing she wasn't quite so distracting and for the ability to be at two places at the same time. He didn't like leaving Lulu alone but he also needed to secure the place and find all the exit points. While Jason had assured him that only a few trusted people knew where they were, it was always better to know the way out.

"This place," she explained at a shout. "It use to be Carly's house when Morgan was first born and she was… and there was an accident and she…" She didn't want to go into the details of Carly's multitudes of sordid marriages to Sonny. "This was Carly's house."

"Why do I get a feeling," Cooper observed as he came back into the room, "that there's a nice juicy story behind this?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Lulu said as she got up. "Can I go upstairs?"

"Can you let me check it first?" he asked.

"Can you hurry?"

"Why?"

She closed her eyes a second as a dizzy spell came on. It passed in a moment but when she opened her eyes, Coop was standing just a little too close for comfort. "Whoa… how'd you…"

Eyes darkened with concern, "You looked like you were going to faint."

Lulu waved the prediction off, "Just the usual," she smiled and sat down again. "I'd really need to take another nap. Can you?" she pointed toward the stairs.

He nodded. "I'll be back in a few."

"Oh, and can you turn down the bed while you are at it?"

He looked startled. "They keep this place made?"

"Jason set this place up, right?"

"Yeah."

"Than I assume he thought of things like that."

"He's a mobster, not a hotelier."

"Carly might have had an input."

"I think she was too busy being shoved into a plane."

"Right," she sighed.

"I'll turn down the bed."

"I was kidding, Boy Scout," she turned and rolled her eyes at him again and waved him off. "Go do your thing so I can get some sleep."

-&-&-&-

Georgie held her sister's hair back as Maxie emptied her stomach into the porcelain bowl again. When Maxie came up for air, she flushed the toilet and pressed a cold towel to Maxie's face. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Shut up," Maxie mumbled.

"You want another aspirin?"

"Will you just…"

"Wait," she mused, "that's not a good idea. That'll probably tear your stomach up even more. You need something to stem the rebellion happening in you stomach. Maybe a Tums?"

"Georgie!" Maxie winced and held the rest of her stomach contents back by sheer will power. "Will you just stop?"

"I'm just trying help, Maxie," Georgie explained with tired exasperation.

"Will don't!" came the shouted reply, anger directed mostly at herself. "Don't help, okay? I don't need your help!" She pushed away from her sister and would have knocked herself silly on the tub if Georgie hadn't caught her in time.

"Maxie," she chided, "please just calm down."

"Calm down?" Maxie shouted, outraged by her sister's suggestion. Struggling to get up, she managed to bump into everything, knocking toothpaste and lotion bottles over, as she managed to just make it to her feet without losing her balance. "Calm down? I'm suppose to calm down when that tramp has turned Coop against me?"

Georgie tried for a reasonable tone even knowing nothing was going to help ease her sister's obvious agitation. "Lulu is not…"

But Maxie wasn't listening anymore, she was too angry now. "I can't believe he chose her over me? HER of all people!" she stomped into her room, kicking the piles of clothes that Georgie had sorted for the laundry. "After _everything_ I've done for him? I mean, I kept that man out of jail for god sakes!"

Catching her sister before she fell, Georgie managed to maneuver Maxie to the bed. "What do you mean?" huffing a little as she lost her breath shoving Maxie in the right direction to land. She was startled by this new information.

"I can't believe I helped him and he just… he chose her?" she screamed painfully into the comforter. "How could you choose her after all I've done for him?"

The sinking feeling she usually gets when she realizes her sister has done something terribly wrong was already making Georgie sick. "Maxie, what are you…"

"I should have just let him get caught, turn him into the police," Maxie mumbled half-heartedly as the alcohol resurfaced in her system at all the thrashing about she did. "Let him get blown up in the hotel with the rest of the bad guys."

Georgie sucked in a breath so hard that she almost choked.

-&-&-&-

"Ow…." Lulu fought back tears as she held a hand against her side and shifted herself into a more comfortable position on the bed. The wound had opened up again, she could almost feel the tearing of new tissues as she moved. If she was lucky, it would close again on its own without any help from needle and thread.

"Easy now," Cooper advised as he yanked off Lulu's shoes and pulled the thick comforter over her legs and watched helplessly as she curled in on herself. "Want those painkillers now?"

"No," she wheezed as she press more firmly on the wound, hiding it from Cooper's ever observant eyes by pulling the comforter up further pretending to be cold. Forcing herself to focus, "When your brother's been an addict and the thing that destroyed his life were painkillers, you tend to avoid the stuff with vengeance."

"But not at the expense of your health," Coop replied as he shook his head at her. "You need to take care of yourself."

She smiled impishly, "But that's what you're here for?"

For a moment, Cooper thought she was flirting but her serenely sweet smile told him otherwise. Lulu was just being Lulu, ridiculously wonderful without meaning to be. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"I'll holler," she closed her eyes and snuggled down in the bed.

Coop gave her one last look and left the door, half closing the door behind him.

Lulu waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps on the wooden stairs before she tossed back the comforter and sat up, forcing back the yap of pain as her middle protested the movement. Pulling her top up, she winced at the tiny spot of red across the white bandage. _"Yup, it's definitely opened up again."_ With a sigh and snail's pace movement, she got up and searched through her bags for new bandages.

When she reached for bind's end, she couldn't quite catch the bandages ends no matter how far she twisted or now much pain it caused. Realizing that she wasn't actually going to be able to do this on her own, she got up and slowly made her way to the landing, hoping that Coop will be in the living room and she wouldn't have to go in search for him. The murmur of voices that assaulted her ears as she got closer told her that she was in luck.

"You should have called first," Coop admonished angrily, having gotten a bad scare at the tech's sudden appearance.

Damian Spinelli, for his part, hadn't exactly been thrilled to find a loaded gun shoved into his face when he got to the safe house as Jason had instructed him. "The jackal was mistakenly informed that the not-so-clean cadet was imminently expecting the Jackal's arrival to augment the utterly outdated and trivial defenses that had once protect the former haven of the Valkyrie."

Coop could feel a headache coming on trying to follow Spinelli's explanation. "Get to the point please?" he was tired and wondering if he could catch a nap while Lulu was resting.

If it was possible for a small, nondescript teen to look disdainful, Spinelli would have worked the look proudly. "Stone-Cold has informed his grasshopper of the nature of your association with the most feared Mr. Corinthos and the Jackel find it distasteful to be in the same room with your tainted presence much less allow your less-than-honorable self to be the only means in procuring the safety of the most Fair Lulu."

Though he caught only about three-quarters of what Spinelli said, Coop understand enough to realize that Jason Morgan to ousted him to the kid. To be fair, he suppose Spinelli was now a part of the Corinthos' organization; why wouldn't Morgan tell him about why Coop had a vested interest in keeping Lulu Spencer safe? Morgan would naturally assume that Sonny Corinthos' threats were the only thing that kept Cooper here. "What did Jason tell you?"

Gripping his laptop case tightly before him like a shield, "Stone-Cold has shared his knowledge of your contribution in the terrorizing of the Blond One and the Valkyrie the night that the dubious Mr. Craig held the Metro Court in his evil grips."

Lulu backed up quickly from the rails, shaking her head in denial even as pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She waited, held her breath and waited for Cooper Barrett to deny the accusation.

Something twisted sickeningly tight inside of Coop. He didn't have a response, didn't know if he could say anything without giving everything away.

Spinelli's eyes held fear and disbelief as the silence stretched. If he had any doubts before as he had told Stone-Cold, he didn't any more. Not when the once clean-cut cadet was looking back at him with the truth in his eyes. "You are not to be trusted with the Fair Lulu."

"You think you can protect her better?" Cooper asked carefully.

"I know I would never in a nanosecond think to hurt the most radiant Blond One," Spinelli informed him without hesitation as he regarded a guy he had once thought as one of the good guys. "I am at a lost as how you could have betrayed Fair Lulu's trust in you, to have deceived her of your rotten nature. How can you do something so despicable?"

"We do a lot things we don't mean to or want to do when we're desperate enough to do it," Cooper said quietly, thoughtfully, regretfully. God, how much did he regret ever getting involved with Craig and his schemes?

Not saying anything, Spinelli ducked his head and set up his computer. "Stone-Cold wants sensors and cameras in the area for watch. The jackal will require some manual labor from you to prepare this haven for the Blonde One's safety." He turned and looked at Cooper Barrett for a moment, dropping his usual mad scrambling speech, "Mr. Corinthos would be very unhappy if anything were to happen to Fair Lulu. I would be careful if I were you."

With nothing more to be said, Coop nodded his head and waited for instructions.

-&-&-&-

Carly looked around the sparsely furnished apartment dully and said nothing. In fact, she hadn't spoken at all since her crying fit in the bathroom on the plane and ignoring all of Jason's attempts at getting her to talk. After fifteen minutes of trying, Jason had decided to let Carly's temperament get the better of her and allowed the silence to stay. He had been certain that she wouldn't be able to keep up the silent treatment for more than an hour, two at most, and they would have an out and that would be the end of that. But Carly hadn't said anything, in fact hadn't spoken in almost eight hours now.

And the silence was becoming unnerving.

"We've had little time to set up the place. There's probably a few things missing that I can pick up before I leave." Jason acknowledged that the place lack a great deal of the posh that Carly have come to enjoy in the recent years. If anything, the apartment was even worse than the little condo he had helped Carly pack up so many years ago after Carly's adopted mother passed away. It had been his first vacation in years, and one of the happiest times of his life. It had been him, Carly and baby Michael; a cozy little quasi-family. "Do you want me to…"

The bedroom door slammed shut behind Carly, not overtly loud but certainly wasn't soft either.

Jason sighed. She wasn't making this easy for him. The bad news was he had a sickening feeling that she wasn't even trying.

-&-&-&-

Lucky placed his pen down and took a deep breath. He's been trying to keep his head in the mindless paperwork with no luck for the last… he glanced at the clock and groaned, _"Three hours and all I've got to show for it is dirty coffee mugs and a trashcan full of disposed half-written police reports."_

"Hey Cruz, why don't we go and get some…" he almost laughed when he looked up. Cruz's usually immaculate desk looked almost as bad as his. "And I thought I was having a rough day. What's eating you?"

Yanking out yet another mess-up tripled carbon copied form for the arcane system used by the government, Cruz gave a growl of fury. He usually wasn't this bad but his mother's call the night before had been disturbing at best and alarming would be putting it mildly. Resisting the urge to pick up the phone and chew out his brother, he hadn't been able to concentrate on doing anything. "I give up," he tossed the stupid typed form into the overflowing trashcan. "Why the hell doesn't the Medicare system go online?"

"Why are you…"

"Stupid form for that mom that lost her kid in that drive by?" he reminded his partner.

"Right," Lucky nodded his head and got out of his chair. He wasn't going to get any work done. "Want coffee?"

"Not really," Cruz leaned back in his chair and looked at his partner. "You okay, man?"

"Rough night," Lucky replied tiredly, not wanting to go into details over the fact that he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep after leaving Liz standing here, alone and crying.

"How rough?" Cruz asked softly, subtly looking around them at the busy station, making sure no one was listening. Lucky was, after all, his partner; and he stuck by his partners.

"Not _that_ rough," Lucky answered with a quick look. "I'm on the wagon and going to meetings. I'm not going to slip." He nodded to himself as he poured bad station coffee. It didn't matter what happened in his life, he made a promised to his sainted mother and he was going to keep it, even if it killed him. "Argh," he spat coffee back into the mug. "Why is it that coffee here always taste bad no matter what kind we get?"

"Murphy's law," Cruz smiled, forced himself to ease back into his chair and sighed. Normally, he'd confide in Lucky but this time… he couldn't. There was just too much at stake and he didn't want the rest of the force to know about his past, or about his brother. "How about we make a run for real coffee. This new Columbian place opened up on the north side that serves the best espressos this side of the continent."

"Sounds like a plan I can follow," Lucky smiled and grabbed his jacket. "Maybe we can do the cliché thing and get donuts too. I could use a sugar rush."

Laughing as he grabbed his keys, Cruz shook his head. "I think I can be persuaded to be a little…"

Lucky made a face and picked up his ringing phone with a grimace. "Never fails, every time I want to do something bad, the dispatch calls with a new assignment. I swear Mac pays someone to spy on me here," he grinned and answered with, "Spencer."

"Lucky," Dr. Lee glanced over her shoulders as the ambulance came into the bay, "It's Kelly Lee at GH."

"Dr. Lee?"

"I think you're going to want to get down here right now," she run toward the door, hearing the agonizing wailing screams from beyond it. "It's Liz."

"What do you mean? What's going on over there?"

"It's Liz, Lucky," Kelly repeated as she raced through the door, one hand digging into her lab coat pocket, pulling out her stethoscope. "She's in labor and she's been asking for you."

The sounds in the background gave Lucky a moment to race through a thousand thoughts all at once. He took a breath and braced himself. "Kelly, Liz and I aren't together anymore and…"

"I don't care what you are at the moment," Kelly shrieked into the phone as the sound of Liz's screaming became louder. "She's in labor, she's in pain and she's calling for you. You're going to tell me that you're not going to come down here when she obviously, desperately needs you?"

"She's bleeding," the paramedic yelled out as one hopped out of the driver side and rushed to the doors. Three attendants moved into position as the doors opened and the gurney was wheeled out.

Liz was begging to whoever was listening, "Please, please… save my baby. Please save my baby!"

"Calm down, Liz," Kelly hung up the phone, no longer caring what happens with Lucky Spencer. "Just let me take a look and we'll…" Liz's scream of pain cut her off.

With the phone buzzing rudely in his ear, Lucky muttered a curse under his breath.

"Something wrong, partner?" Cruz didn't like the look on Lucky's face, it spelled trouble with a capital T.

"Liz is in labor," Lucky murmured as he sat the phone down and considered his options.

Nodding with perfect understanding, "I'll drive."

"I'm not sure…" he paused, fighting between old instincts to ride to Liz's side and new found fears of not doing the right thing. "I'm not sure if it's good idea for me to be there."

"She's in labor, Lucky," Cruz replied, seeing the conflicted pain in Lucky's eyes. "She's probably really scared right now, even if she did have another kid before this. And she's technically still your legal, lawful wife. You telling me that you don't want to be there to hold her hand when she needs you?"

Lucky sat down hard in his chair, "I'm not sure what I want anymore. I just want to get through each day without taking a drink, taking a pill or taking someone's head off. That's all I want. Just a simple, calm little…"

"Knock it off with that Dr. Phil and get up," Cruz threw Lucky's discarded jacket at his head. "I'll drive, you get all that bullshit out of your system before you see that wife of yours. We'll get that baby born and you can sort out the rest of the crap later."

Looking up, Lucky saw that Cruz wasn't just yanking his chain, he was dead serious. "Jason Morgan left town."  
"Oh great," heading for his car. "You're going to be the good guy and call him aren't you? I don't suppose you know his number."

"Yeah," he said reluctantly, "yeah, I do."

"Then call him, 'cause you're _that_ kind of guy, and let's get to the hospital," Cruz slapped his siren on top of his car and pulled out without another thought. It was always easier to deal with other people's issues than his own. And god knows he had no idea what to do about the hell he was currently going through. "I suppose you have to call the rest of your fan club too."

"No," searching his phone. "No need to drag Dad and Tracy into this, Nikolas will probably find out from Emily and Lulu's gone into protective custody. I don't want her running around town without a good reason."

"How _is_ your sister?"

"Whining about being locked up and stuck with only Barrett for company."

"And Barrett?"

"Probably half in love with her already, poor sap."

Cruz smirked. "Figures."

-&-&-&-

Dry leaves crunched underfoot as Lulu picked up her pace, biting down on her lips and hugging herself tighter to ward off the pain in her side. Every step hurt now and the pain wasn't abating. She didn't even want to look down to see how much damage she must have done to herself while escaping Carly's former home… her prison… with a two-face creep that pretended to be her friend and was actually one of the people that almost got her killed.

She had to get away. As far away as her own two legs could carry her.

Unfortunately, Lulu took a breath and stopped for a moment, she was forced to acknowledged that they weren't going to carry her as far as she'd like. Doubling over, she let out a soft cry of pain as her left side suddenly felt as if it'd been doused with acid. _"God damn it!"_ She didn't have any doubt that she'd managed to tear open her wound again.

If memory served, there wasn't going to be any shelter for a while… at least another two miles down the road if she was really lucky.

The hum of engine behind her made her look up, _"Or I could be really __extremely__ lucky."_ Turning about, she bit down hard on the pain and stuck her thumb out. _"Well, hitchhiking may not be the best form of transportation but it's not like things can get any worse!"_

-&-&-&-

The hours were ticking by too slowly. But then again, the usually comforting silence now felt oppressive simply because Carly was in the next room and there hasn't been a peep from her in hours. The heavy feeling of foreboding wasn't doing good things to Jason as he paced the room instead of getting to work on putting plans in place. He couldn't stay in Florida indefinitely, there was too much at stake in Port Charles for him to just leave like this. But Carly and the boys were going to be his priority as far as business went and Sonny would handle the dealings with Lorenzo on the offensive front. On top of that, Jason didn't want to leave with everything still so ugly between him and Carly. It was the first time in memory Carly has simply shut him out. And Jason was finding this new experience to be one he could have done without.

The obnoxiously ringing phone was almost a relief against the heavy tension in the room. "Morgan."

Carly pressed her ear to the door, her eyes finally dry and her heart heavier than it's been since her babies were kidnapped and she believed Michael was gone. She didn't feel up to seeing Jason yet, not until she could do so calmly and without the need to cry again. God it hurt, just hurt to know that everything she's ever known about them was a lie, nothing more than wishful thinking on her part. But than again, she always was good at deceiving herself… it made her life so much easier to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Maybe another trip to Rose Lawn was necessary just so she could keep going… she wasn't above that to protect herself and her kids. And for now, her kids were safe.

"When?" Jason's voice took on a hint of agitation, so very unusual for a man that revealed next to nothing. "What's her condition?"

Holding her breath, Carly twisted the doorknob silently and opened a crack in the door. Jason was barking orders to the poor sap on the other end of the phone, his voice sharp with concern, though one would have to have known him for some time to detect it. She watched with a dead fascination as Jason angrily shut his phone and paused in his movement, obviously conflicted. She already knew his decision even before he turned to face the door. She exited the room calmly, her face stoic. "Go," she told him.

"Carly, there's been…"

"Go," was the repeated instruction, said with all the emotions of a limp towel.

For a moment, Jason felt the insane urge to argue with her. Why? He wasn't sure. After all, Carly was giving him an easy out. He didn't even have to try. Elizabeth needed him right now, she was in labor and in danger. Jason knew that he needed to get back to New York as soon as possible. Staying in Florida wasn't even really a option but… The look in Carly's eyes as she turned away, completely calm and accepting, stabbed painfully at him. It wasn't the Carly he knew, wasn't even the desperately frightened Carly that had begged him not to leave her at Rose Lawn or Ferncliff. This Carly, the Carly that didn't even look back as she slowly shut the door to the bedroom again, looked defeated… defeated and alone. And _this_ Carly scared him.

Going to the door, Jason considered for a moment of just forcing the issues to head and dueling it out until it's resolved. He didn't want to leave like this, with Carly looking like she may not even put up a fight if the enemy came knocking. But he stopped himself. He didn't have the time it would take to work this through. He couldn't afford it when Elizabeth was in trouble and there was a child to consider. Carly would have to wait. Carly would have to understanding.

With a reluctant sigh, Jason turned around again. He gave the guards their instructions and wrote a note for Carly letting her know he'll be back as soon as he could and to not make any trouble. And then he left.

Carly sat on the ground leaning against the door, listening to the muffled voices in the other room. She didn't get up when Jason knocked on the door, didn't answer him when he called out his goodbye. She just sat there and listened as the footsteps faded and the door opened and closed again. The silence that remain drove her to tears again but she refused to acknowledge them. She was alone: always alone. Getting up slowly, her tired aching bones protesting every movement, Carly mentally pieced herself back together.

_"You can only ever count on yourself."_ Twenty five years later, she could still hear her adoptive father's parting words to her. _"No matter what they say to you, you can only ever count on yourself. Remember that, Caroline."_

But her father had been wrong, she knew she could count on others in her life to help her when she desperately need it. She just didn't ever counted on Jason one day not being one of them. Picking up her phone, she dialed out despite being warned not to. "It's Carly. I need your help."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note 2**: I've decided to take this in another direction… away from the original one that never came into fruition. Hope it doesn't disappoint!


	14. Connections

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it was, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

**Summary**: Coop and Spinelli team up, Carly makes a move, Jason and Lucky come to an understanding, Kelly delivers some devastating news and Lulu gets unexpected help.

**Timeline**: Over the river and through the woods… the wolf gobbled down the correct one. We're now in the Twilight Zone.

**Author's Note**: First, I want to thank everyone that dropped a review whenever I update. You guys are the reason I keep writing. Secondly, AdamPascalFan – I wish I could say that was Johnny at the end of the last chapter but it isn't. (See first section below) I wanted a way to bring Johnny into the story to give him a connection to Lulu, the way the show had with the whole running away thing. But since I didn't have Lulu end up with Logan in the first place (I can't tell you how much I despise that whole setup), with its subsequent heartache, I need to work something else in there. So… here's my attempt at it. I hope I don't disappoint. (See further down below for Johnny's introduction.)

Oh… and I hate that they decided to kill Coop even though they literally gave him nothing to do for months now.

**2****nd**** Author's Note**: Okay guys, I'm about to do something horrible and evil. A lot of you are going to hate it but I really need this for the purpose of this story. Plus I've had this in the back of my mind when I started this story. Please don't kill me.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 14 - Connections

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She opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could on the hand partially over her mouth. The howl of pain came from above almost got a smile of satisfaction from her but she had other things to worry about. Jabbing her right elbow inside the man's hip, he released her arm and she made a run for it. But she hadn't taken more than three steps when another set of hands grabbed her from the left, pulling her to a standstill.

"You little bi…" the first guy shouted as he let go of his prisoner roughly and shook his injured hand vigorously to ease the sting. He raised a fist to strike back at the blond girl.

"Knock it off," the second man ordered as he shifted her out of the way of the coming blow. "The boss don't want her hurt."

"He also didn't mentioned the girl being crazy!" the first guy replied angrily.

"You should have grabbed her better," the second one answered with a smirk, holding onto the girl with some difficulty, she was wiggling like a eel. "Behave girl, orders will only protect you so far."

"You guys are going to be in big trouble," Lulu warned them as she squirmed furiously, yanking herself away with a skill born from necessity. _"Okay, so hitchhiking on a deserted road when there are people out to hurt you wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had."_ She cursed herself silently for her own boneheaded move. "I am a close and personal friend of Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. When they find out that I've been kidnapped…"

"They're not going to find out," the second goon said as he pulled her toward a tall gate. "No one saw us take you. They're not going to know anything until the boss wants them to."

"'The boss,'" she repeated with a roll of her eyes. "What is this? The Godfather?" She gave her arm a test shake and winced when her side burned from the twisting motion. Being tussled about wasn't helping her heal at all. "What are you guys trying to do? Start a mob war or something?"

"Something like that girl, now be quiet or…"

"Or what?" she shot back, "you're going to beat me? You think that's going to scare me somehow? Seriously?" she gave them a 'are you crazy?' look that teens do so well.

The man rolls his eyes and threw Lulu through a pair of frightful looking gates, pushing her up the steps to a house that should have been situated somewhere in the middle of Transylvanian with Dracula coming to the door to greet them. All the perfumed red roses around the front did nothing to detract from the oppressive feel of the exterior; in fact it only added to the dark mystique of the place. "Tell the boss that we've got the girl."

The first guy nodded his head, threw Lulu a dark glare – to which she merely made a smug face and stuck out her tongue – and left through a side door.

"Come on," the remaining guard said as he gave her a light push down the dim corridor. The walls were dark in color, wood paneled that had been stained cherry, difficult to make out with the limited light allowed in by the shrouded windows. Even darker furniture lined the walls with only a few electric illumination to ease the gloom and doom, barely penetrating the darkness every other foot or so. Every piece of decor was antique looking and smelled vaguely of distress. There wasn't anything remotely 'nice' about the place.

Lulu looked around in disgust and expressed it with a snuffled of distain, "And I thought my brother Nikolas' place gave me the creeps."

"Give your mouth a rest already, will you?" the guard grumbled disagreeably.

"When Jason finds out that you've mistreated me, he's going to make you sorry you decided to mess with me." Jerking her arm away from her guard, Lulu turned and regarded the man with a glare worthy of any mob princess, "And, by the way, I'm not the one that decided to kidnap me and drag me into a dirty, dank old…" she jerked her head to the side, around a corner and cried out in delight, "JASON!"

The guard turned in a snap and whipped out his gun, searching the dark corridors for the enemy.

Without hesitation, Lulu grabbed the ugly brown vase from the sideboard and brought it down hard on the base of the man's head. It shattered easily, making a very satisfying sound. Her would-be guard folded like a plank board left in the rain too long. She was already reaching for another weapon when she realized that the man was down for the count. Searching his pockets, Lulu found an extra clip for the a 9mm that was too big for her hands but she took nevertheless, slipping it into the back of her jeans, and nothing else of use. Stopping only long enough to catch her breath and to ease the pain radiating up her side, Lulu looked toward where she had been brought in and realized that there were too many twists and turns in the old house for her to remember which way she came in from. The place as like a horrible maze. And there was always the possibility that the other guard was on his way to find them. _"Not much of a choice here." _She took a breath and looked around again, concluding that her best bet would be to find another exit, _"'Cause there's got to be more than one exit in these places. Contingency plans; isn't that what Carly called them? So, I'm going to guess that there's more than one contingency exit in this place. Now, to find it…"_

Taking a breath and holding her hand against her wound, she plunged deeper into the mansion and prayed for a miracle.

-&-&-&-

Carly pulls her cell phone out the minute she exited the cab. Paying of the ride, she thanked the driver and flips open her phone. Without hesitation, she broke it in half and tossed the screen away. Walking toward the newspaper stand some fifty feet away, she opened the back of the phone and threw the battery into the nearby garbage can. While she purchased the newest best selling novel, she removed the sim chip inside the phone and snapped it across the middle with her thumb and curled forefinger. She walked sixty feet away and threw the two tiny electronic pieces into the waste bin then proceeded another thirty feet and tossed the rest of the phone into the rolling trash cart of a maintenance worker. Then she headed to the back of private airstrip.

The plane was there as promised and as Carly approached, the hatch opened.

"I'm glad you called," Lorenzo greeted as he stepped out.

"I needed a favor," Carly replied calmly, neutrally.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, seeing the dull gleam of acceptance in Carly's usually flashing eyes. It was an unnatural and frightening look; so unlike the Carly he had so very reluctantly fallen for. "And how did you escape Morgan's people?"

"This is Florida," Carly informed him as she stopped short of the stairs leading to him. She held herself tightly together. "This is my home turf. Besides, I've had years of practice evading Sonny's men."

Lorenzo smiled, the causal sensual smile that made Carly remember why she married him once upon a time, and got down to the business at hand. "This plane is at your disposal. The captain has chartered a flight to the Dominican Republic and after that, you may take off to any location in the world."

"And you won't know where?" she asked with a quick raised brow.

"No," he assured her with an inclination of his head as he approached her, leaving the plane to wait for it next passenger. "You are correct in your estimate that anyone in my organization, as unlikely as it seem, can be bought with the right price… just as any one of Corinthos men could. It's safer if none of us knew where you are. The pilot isn't part of this, I hired him through a third party out of Rhoda Island; he's clean."

Carly nodded, silently thanking him for allowing her to do this. She didn't need to take his word for it, she already had a plan in place just in case Lorenzo wasn't as upfront as he purported to be.

"Carly," he reached out and stopped her when she moved toward the plane and handed her a small silver key. "The box on the front seat; there's cash and the account number for a little something in the Cayman Islands. There's also a gun in it, a small one. Protect yourself." He slipped her a sheet of paper, "my private line. You can reach me at anytime, anywhere in the world. If you get into trouble call me; I'll come for you." He pointed to an address in South America. "One of my holdings in Brazil. No one knows of it, not even Skye; she's in Argentina right now. If you need somewhere to go…"

She nodded her head in acknowledgement of his generosity. "Thank you." She understood perfectly well that he needn't have done all this just because she asked. _This _Lorenzo was the one that she had married and subsequently burned. She touched his cheek ever so lightly, as if committing it to memory… like she wasn't ever coming back.

"What are you running from?" he asked just before she pulled away.

Looking up, Carly felt herself withdraw defensively seeing the soft kindness in Lorenzo eyes, the same eyes he had once looked upon her with. She didn't want to go back there again. "I'm not sure. I'll let you know when I do."

"Do you have a phone to reach me?"

"I've ditched mine. That kid Jason uses is good with computers, they'd find me if I use it."

"Take mine," reaching into his pocket.

Shaking her head, she stopped his hand. "No, I'm okay. I'll find another when I land somewhere safe." She suddenly felt so alone that she wanted to cry again. It would be so easy for her to turn to him and allow him to take care of her, the way she could see he wanted to. She hadn't felt so connected to him since… since he helped deliver Morgan into the world and almost died doing so. That seemed like a life time ago. "Thank you, Lorenzo."

He shook his head, touching her hand with his own. "I was the one that got you into this mess. The least I can do is…"

"No," she interrupted quietly, "thank you for being honest with me. And for helping me when I needed it."

"I'm always here, Carly," he replied honestly as he stepped back and heard the approach of a car, the one he had ordered to take him into the nearest international airport. "Take care of yourself. I'll be waiting when you get back."

She stared at him a moment. "Don't."

"Don't?" confused.

"Don't wait," she clarified. "I… I'm not sure if…" she didn't know what she was saying. Wasn't sure if she understood what she wanted to say. She needed time to collect herself, put herself first for just a little while… then get back to what is really important to her: her boys.

"Take your time, Carly," Lorenzo interrupted quietly, seeing the conflict in her eyes. Something bad happened down here, something that's broken her again. God, he couldn't stand to see her broken, not after everything she's done to rebuild her life, to stand clear on her own. "You're stronger than anyone I know."

She looked at him, curious now. "Really? I use to think that – that I'm strong. But I'm not sure anymore. Maybe it's just a delusion of mine. Maybe I really am as crazy as people seem to think I am." She gave a soft ironic laugh, not quite bitter but certainly lacking in any kind of amusement on her part. If she was crazy now, god only knows what she's been doing the last few months.

"You're not," he replied with the self assurance of a man that's use to getting his way… most of the time. Except when it came to Carly; she was as unpredictable as the rain in Los Angeles and as immovable as the Rocky Mountains. "You're probably saner than most of us would like to be. And you _are_ strong, stronger than any woman I've ever known; Sophie included."

It was high praise indeed to be compared to the revered woman of Lorenzo's past. "I'm glad you're so sure," she smiled, soft and just a little amused, "thanks for the plane. I'll be in touch…" she was halfway up the stairs when she turned again, "maybe," she concluded and got into the plane. She offered him a crooked half smile and ducked her head.

Lorenzo stood there, thoughtfully silent as he watched the plane leave. It was the smile that gave him hope. Carly was… _is_ strong. She was going to find her way back to herself again. It was just a matter of time and being away from Corinthos and Morgan.

-&-&-&-

"No, no, no…." Liz screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Liz," Kelly tried her best coaxing voice. "We need to be able to stabilize the…."

"No C-section," Liz cried out loudly as she doubled over in pain. "I'm having this baby naturally. You said I would have this baby naturally!"

"I know I did but we're now looking at…" Kelly ducked when Liz's leg sudden shot out in spasms.

"AHHHH…." Liz's hand searched for something to hold as her body rebelled violently against her. "LUCKY! I want Lucky!"

Cruz shoved his partner through the portal when Lucky Spencer looked like he was going to hesitate at the doorway. With a quick wave and 'do something' look, he pulled the door close nodding at the grateful look from Dr. Lee who also managed to simultaneously give Lucky a look of 'where have you been?' and still convey her thanks.

Lucky stood at the edge of the bed, not sure what he should be doing when Liz screamed again. Instinct kicked it and he reached for her hand, grasping her tiny gentle fingers with his rough callous ones… like when they were teens and she painted while he played the guitar to amuse her. She turned to him and reached for him as he shift onto the bed, pulling her into his arms, supporting her weight with his body, easing her pain by just simply being there.

"Lucky," Liz sobbed as her face fell against his sleeves. The familiar smell of leather and aftershave went a great deal to remind her to breath. "You came."

"Shh…" he turned his hips to angle himself to her, allowing her to fall against his body in an easy manner they had both long been accustom to, "it's all right, everything is going to be all right." With a hand in her hair and another gently cradling her, he slowly got her situated and calmed even as the labor continued to intensify. He glanced up and exchanged quick concern looks with Dr. Lee. "Kelly is going to take care of you and you baby. You're going to be fine."

"That's right," Kelly agreed with a quick nod as she finally got enough space to move. "I'm going to be taking very good care of you, Liz. Don't you worry." She nodded to a nurse who handed her the attachments to the fetal monitor. "I'm just going to check on the baby and make sure things are where they need to be." She looked up and addressed Lucky, "You need to hold her still enough for me to do this."

Lucky didn't answer her but simply tightened his hold on Liz.

"Lucky," Liz whimpered as she clung to him, grateful for his presence. "Oh god… don't leave me, Lucky." The frightened tears came freely as Lucky held her trembling body against his, bracing it for stillness as doctors and nurses rush around her. Intellectually she understood what was happening but emotionally… "Please save my baby, please save my baby…." Emotionally, she was a mother.

"Kelly," Lucky whispered, frightened by the way Liz's voice broke as she pleaded. "I think something is _really_ wrong here."

"I'm moving as fast as I can," Kelly muttered as she shifted the monitor around. "I can't seem to find…" she concentrated on what she was doing instead of trying to explain. But there was definitely something wrong. "Can I get another monitor for Liz in here please?"

"Please don't let my baby pay the price," Liz begged as her body went slack with weakness. "Oh god…"

Her voice broke his heart. Her words strengthened his resolve. "No one is punishing you, Liz." Lucky whispered into her ear, pulling her up against him and holding onto her tightly. "Take a deep breath and let it out slow, everything is going to be okay. You've done everything right by this child…"

"Except have you as its father," Liz whispered as her body suddenly went slack. "Oh god Lucky, I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry."

"Shhh…." He's arms crossed over her chest, "Don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about. You're going to be okay," he promised her, "You're going to just fine."

"Lucky," Liz looked up, her face wet with tears and her eyes full of regrets, "I love you. If I can take it back, I could take everything back…"

"Don't talk," he advised, feeling his heart splinter under the weight of her pains, "save your strength to care of this child."

"I need a monitor in here _now_!" Kelly shouted over her shoulder as she continued to press the fetal monitor against Liz's protruding abdomen. "And someone get me an OR!"

Liz's eyes were bright with fear, her heart thumping loudly in her ears as she forced herself to stay alert even as the darkness clawed at her. "Stay with me, Lucky. Please don't leave me…."

"I'm here," he promised her, feeling his arms tremble with fear. "I'm not going anywhere, Liz. I'm right here with you."

The promise given, her mind a little more at ease, she whispered, "I love you," as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Kelly!" Lucky called out.

"Shut up!" Kelly replied as she continued to stare at the monitors before her, eyes wide with anxiety. Cursing under her breath, "Lucky," she said without even turning to him, "get off the bed and lay her down flat. Someone page the OR nurses on duty, we're going in on an emergency c-section. I want an infant incubation unit setup and I need NICU on standby." She yanked the wires and tubes out as soon as she was done talking even as the nurses scrambled to do her bidding.

"Can I be in there?" Lucky asked as he set Liz's head down carefully on a pillow. She looked so deathly pale.

"Lucky, I don't think that it's a good idea…"

"I promised that I wouldn't leave her," he explained fearfully. "I'll stay out of your way."

Shaking her head, Kelly continued to move her patient as she needed. "There's going to be a lot of people running around and trying to…"

"I promised her, Kelly," Lucky interrupted a little more forcefully. "_I promised_."

Hesitating a second, Kelly nodded. "But stay out of the way!"

"Okay," Lucky followed the rolling bed out.

Kelly grabbed the closest orderly. "Get Detective Spencer an operating gown. And someone page Dr. Archer!"

-&-&-&-

"SPINELLI!!!" Coop came thundering down the stairs three steps at a time.

"There is no need to rise above the audio level of a…"

"Stop talking and activate all the remote cameras," Cooper ordered as he vaulted over the last ten steps.

Turning to look at him funny, "May I inquire as to why we would need to do so at this exact moment given that not all of the…"

"Lulu is gone!" he shouted at him as he went through the back door. "Get those cameras up NOW!" He crashed through the back without ever glancing at Spinelli.

Damien Spinelli is good at only two things: computers and panicking. Right now… he was choosing to exercise the latter. "What do mean she's gone?!?" he shouted after the once-upon-a-time Clean Cut Cadet. For a moment, he didn't understand any of what was being told to him. What did Cadet Barrett mean that the Fair Lulu was gone? Gone how? The Blonde One was to be in repose upstairs while they prepare the defenses for her haven away from the…

"Are those cameras up yet?" Coop asked as he came back into the room after having done a sweep outside. The conveniently placed tree outside the window of the master bedroom would explain how someone could have gotten in and taken Lulu without either he or Spinelli seeing anything. But they should have hear something. Lulu would have struggled and known if… _"You're assuming that Lulu was conscious when they took her. For all your stupid distractions with Spinelli, she had have been bleeding to death upstairs and you wouldn't have known since you failed to check on her like you know you should. Damn it!"_

"All the optical surveillance equipment are operational," Spinelli said as he pulled up everyone manually since none of the auto functions were hooked up yet. "Scanning the area now."

"Forget that a moment," Coop said as he fell against Spinelli in his rush. "I did a visual sweep already, she's already long gone and there's not enough light out back to track her. See if you can hack into the security system of the neighborhood for the last hour. I need to see what the hell happened. If they took her, they had to have a car. I need model, make, license number, anything to go on."

"You think the evil doers would have harmed Fair Lulu?" an ashen pallor spreading over Spinelli's already grey face.

"They're out to kill her, Spinelli," Coop explained carefully, his eyes dark with anger and frustration… and a good dose of self loathing. "Why do you think Morgan sent us out here?"

Not bothering to answer, Spinelli was already hacking into all the local security companies for their access codes. Wishing his fingers worked as quickly as his thoughts, he scanned through the foreign systems and pulled up the address of the nearby homes. "How far back?" he asked as he began to pull back on the timeframe.

"Go two hours," Cooper replied tersely. _"If anything happens to Lulu…"_

"There is nothing here to indicate any foul play," Spinelli rattled as he continued to review the multiple panels of security cameras. "Perhaps the Blonde One merely exited the house for some much needed fresh air."

"Through the window?" Cooper asked as he scanned the speeding picture frames. "How long were we working on those security measures."

"At least the last three hours."

"Then keep pulling back on the timeframe, back up to three hours if you have to."

"Some of the residence along these roads may have highly sophisticated close circuits security, much like the one employed by the former Mrs. Corinthos in this abode."

"Can you get into those?"

"Not without a land line," Spinelli explained.

"What do I have to do to get you one?" he asked.

"Nothing," he replied as he stopped the videos and pulled up a different screen. "I'm going to attempt to access the phone companies' database for a direct line access," he turned and looked Cooper for a moment. "My current activities are considered highly illegal and given your current chosen professional, however dubious you came by that decision, it would be wise for you to avert your eyes."

Coop gave him a look of pure evil. "If I can hold up a hotel and threaten to kill someone at point blank, I think I'm okay about watching you hack into the phone company."

Swallowing the sudden foul taste in his mouth, Spinelli nodded. "Point taken," and returned to what he was doing. "This may prove to be a bit more difficult than the Jackal had anticipated."

"Whatever it take Spinelli," Coop informed him. "You and I _do not_ want to have to explain to Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan how someone snatched Lulu right out from under our noses while we were downstairs twiddling our thumbs."

Making a face and giving a determined sigh, "It would a most painful and unfortunate interview that the Jackal would not wish to partake of."

"Then we better find Lulu before we have to have that conversation."

-&-&-&-

Jason's eyes didn't move at all as he watched the doctors in the OR rush about. From the observation deck, he could see everything that was happening down below without interfering. From what little he got from the nurses he was able to stop in the hall, Elizabeth and the baby aren't doing well and Dr. Kelly Lee is doing everything in her powers to stop a bleed that she couldn't find the source of.

The door behind him swung open.

"Jason," Lucky's voice was grave and calm. "I'm glad you could make it."

"What's happening?" Jason asked without preamble. This wasn't the time for polite tiptoeing conversations.

"They're not sure. They're going to do an emergency c-section and take the baby out. There's a bleed somewhere in Liz's uterus but they can't find the source and it's causing the baby's distress." Lucky looked down at the surgical gown he wore and hesitated.

"Thank you for calling me," Jason said quietly as they both turned and faced the OR.

"I…" he didn't know what to say. He couldn't really explain why he had. That he would have wanted Jason to call him if Lucky had been in his place? That it felt like something his mother would approval of? That he hadn't even considered not calling? "I thought you might want to be here for the birth of your child."

"I do," Jason admitted with a nod, his heart thumping a little too hard in his chest.

They stood there in silence, neither one knowing what to say to the other.

"Liz asked me to stay with her," Lucky finally said when the silence grew too big and the OR looked ready to began. "I promised her that I would stay with her but if you want to be in there and…"

"You should be with Elizabeth," Jason replied looking at Lucky carefully, "she needs you right now."

Understanding what Jason was giving up, Lucky felt a sudden empathy with his archrival, feeling almost sorry for the man. It was an impossibly painful position to be in. Not sure what to say, Lucky nodded and exit the deck to join the surgical team below wondering if he would have the strength to say "go" if he had been in Jason's place.

Leaning against the cool glass of the observation deck, Jason wondered if he would have had the strength to call Lucky had he been in Lucky's place, as bitter and angry as he was certain Lucky was. He wasn't sure if he would be able to sit there and watch the woman he loved give birth the a child not his… though he suppose his relationship with Sam had that tone about it. But… but that had been different, _felt_ different. There was no marriage to break, no heart shattered by a paternity truth, no danger that wasn't already realized. Jason wondered if Lucky realize his own strength of character and what his actions say about his love for Elizabeth.

Dr. Andy Archer turned and gave Dr. Kelly Lee a quick nod, green lighting the procedure. He then turned and watched an anxious Lucky Spencer situate himself as close as he could to his estranged wife, who had called for him when she needed someone to hold her hand and be there for the hard fights. Andy wondered briefly it Lucky and Elizabeth Spencer understood just how fortunate they are to have found even a brief moment of happiness.

"Okay people, this is one of our own. No mistakes! We're moving in fast, so let's get to it. Ten blade," Kelly snapped and begin before the nurse could even react.

Lucky leaned in close so he couldn't see pass the raised curtain over Liz's middle and watched Liz's face under the breathing mask. "You hang in there. Cameron needs his mother and this new baby needs someone to feed and bathe him, love him and comfort him, show him the right path to the road of life. I can't think of a better role model for this new little one that you, Elizabeth Webber."

"Spencer," Andy corrected.

Glancing over his shoulder, Lucky blinked at the smiling blue eyes over a surgical mask. "What?"

"Spencer," Dr. Archer repeated as he leaned over and glanced at Elizabeth. He smiled at the pretty nurse as if she could see. "She always introduced herself as Elizabeth Spencer, even after the two of you split. She didn't ever go back to her maiden name. Elizabeth considered herself a Spencer."

Silent as he absorbed the thought, Lucky felt himself humbled by the idea.

"I need more blood in here," Kelly ordered as she sliced through the third layer of membrane. "Come on!" The rapid bleeping on Elizabeth's heart wasn't comforting her at all, nor was the fact that Kelly had yet to find the baby's heartbeat, no matter how hard she had tried earlier. Even now she has a nurse desperately looking for a sign that that child was all right even as they prepare to remove the baby from its mother. "I need more suction; I can't see a thing in here!" Hands appeared with tubes and more lines for Kelly. "I need more light over here," someone grabbed the overheads. "Andy…"

"I'm giving her more oxygen," he replied without even being asked.

"Watch her pulse, she's bleeding badly here," Kelly said as she ducked her head under an obscuring arm. "More suction!"

"I'm hanging another unit," Andy said as kept a close eye on her stats.

"I can't find a fetal pulse," the staff nurse called out as she gave up trying to get underneath the operating doctors.

"Abandon that line," Kelly said as she stepped closer to the table, "and get your arms up here. I need someone else on the other side here."

Lucky didn't turn his head, he didn't watch.

"The baby is out," Kelly called out as she lifted the child clear. "Dr. Archer, stats?"

Andy rattled off numbers and watched Lucky's impassive face. "I've got a dropping pulse."

Turning, Kelly passed the baby to the NICU doctors, who hurried the child away toward the warm birthing unit to the side. "I've got a bleeder. Damn it, I can't see. Someone in here with suction, I need to clamp her off!"

The OR went silent but for the machines as each set of unit worked frantically on their respective patients. There a momentary sigh of relief as Dr. Lee announced that she's found a source and clamped the problem with a quick efficient hand. Then…. "DR. LEE!"

Kelly finished off the tie and handed off to another to close. She hurried over, glancing only briefly at the immoveable form of Lucky Spencer whispering softly by Elizabeth's side. "Voice down," she hissed at the nurse, stripping her bloodied gloves and elbowed her way through. "What do we…." She didn't finish the question as Dr. Waller removed his hands from the tiny infant's chest. "Oh god," the words escaped her lips before she could think better.

The baby was blue.

Head to toe blue.

And completely unresponsive.

"Five minutes now," Dr. Waller whispered regretfully as he stepped back. "There's nothing more we can do." He looked at the ashen face over the surgical mask. "I'm calling it."

Unable to say anything, Kelly swallowed the rising pain in her throat and turned away as Dr. Waller called the time of death. Her eyes went to Andy's as the anesthesiologist start the routine of bring his patient out from under the cloak of a drug induced sleep. His eyes narrowed in question and widen when hers filled with tears and she shook her head in response. They both turned and saw that Lucky Spencer was no longer looking at Liz, he was watching the silent exchange and the stricken faces of the NICU unit in stunned disbelief.

"Lucky," Kelly started but couldn't get the words pass the lump in her throat.

It was just as well, Lucky didn't want to hear anything. He couldn't quite comprehend that had just happened. He didn't know how he was suppose to react. So… he looked up.

Jason stood framed by the observation deck window, a stone sentinel. If he understood what had happened, it didn't show on his face. If he didn't, he wasn't questioning it either. He just stood there, silent and still as he watched yet another child slipped away.

-&-&-&-

Lulu could hear the number of people in the corridors as she ducked behind another corner. The house was now on high alert, someone obviously found the fallen guard and was combing the mansion for her. Leaning against a wall, she glanced down at her burning side. The wound had bleed through the compression bandages and were seeping into her clothes. Her right side was covered in blood now.

And she was completely out of breath.

_"I hope they don't send out the dogs or anything like that,"_ she thought horribly as she took a breath and push off again. There was no hope for rescue at this point. She was certain that no one saw her leave Carly's compound and she had been careful to avoid the more well traveled roads. The guards had said no one saw them pluck her off the streets and they weren't planning on announcing themselves just yet. Which meant no one knew where she was. _"Okay Lulu, you're always saying you are your father's daughter… now prove it."_

Moving further down, hoping what was to be the back of the house, she came upon a pair of double doors. Something about it made her hesitate. An animalistic howling from within made her step back. It sounded like an angry wounded animal. She wondered if someone had locked their family pet within the…

"Did you check this way?"

Turning toward the voices, Lulu scrambled back to get her bearing and headed further ahead, away from the outraged cries of the beast within the walls and her pursuers. It wasn't long before she was completely turned around again. Desperately, she tried the nearest door and almost wept with relief when the first thing she saw was a roll of shiny black cars.

She had found the garage.

Unfortunately, she wasn't alone.

"What the hell…" the tall young man about to enter a classy two-door yellow muscle car, stopped and leaned his weight against the frame of the door, staring at the frightened Lulu. His eyes made a curious sweep of her, noting the mussed hair, the panting breath and… his eyes got no further than the wound at her side; the one with her hand pressed firmly against it, blood seeping between her pale fingers.

Someone calling to another sounded through the door behind her. She turned to look behind her expecting her kidnappers to come charging through, her fear and dread making her want to cry for the first time since this insanity had started. She turned to the stranger, unable to find any more strength to run or even beg for help.

Dark eyes like warm liquid chocolate took in the situation in less then a second. Something flashed in them for a moment as his gaze fixed on her wound again. There was only a momentary hesitation as he threw the car door wide open and yanked the driver seat forward. "Get in the car," waving her over.

Her lightheaded relief made her stumble as she almost pitched headfirst into the doorframe. The young man steadied her with one arm and helped her into the cramp tiny back seat, pushing her low to the ground. "Stay down," he urged, turning to grab something off the side of another vehicle. A rough blanket smelling of gasoline and motor oil was thrown over her and Lulu made an effort to cover herself as best as she could but every motion made her side burn with pain. "Be quiet," was the whispered instruction as he pushed his seat back into position and got into the car just as the door to the garage opened.

Cold and numb with pain, Lulu trembled as she held her breath.

The car door slammed and the roar of a diesel engine coming to life almost drown out the sound of a door slamming open and men shouting. The engine rived defiantly as the garage door creaked open.

"Hey wait!" was the shout, indignant and panic as the wheels of the car squealed beneath the car. Lulu bit her lip as the car jerked in reverse then stopped abruptly and swung around. A sudden riving of the engine gave her a moment to brace herself before the car shot off again like a rocket, peeling rubber on cobble stones that were never meant for such treatment. Nothing more could be heard above the angry roar of a dangerous car as it fled like a bat out of hell down the desert countryside streets.

"Stay down and stay quiet, we're not out of the woods yet."

She didn't respond. She merely held herself tightly, trying to ward off the seeping cold and pain.

The gears shifted and the car accelerated to a speed that probably bordered illegal limits. "You okay back there?"

Swallowing against the rising tide of unconsciousness, "Yeah, thanks."

A long silence followed before her unexpected savior called back to her again. "I'm Johnny."

"Lulu," she replied back over the roar of the speeding car and the chattering of her teeth as the numbing pain made it difficult for her concentrate on anything else other than wanting to black out.

"Nice to meet you, Lulu," he replied hitting the gas pedal harder, the hum of the car soothing him. "Care to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Sure," Lulu breathed, not caring whether or not he could hear her. "Just as soon as I wake up from this…" her words trailed and she vaguely heard her name being called over and over again as she slipped into darkness.

_To be continued…_

Thoughts? Criticisms? Hopes? Dreams? Reviews?


	15. Sliding Sides

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walk Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in reviews. 

**Summary**: Spinelli finds a clue, Johnny grants a request, Cruz asks a favor and Lucky tries to help Jason just as they are both delivered another blow.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out of any kind of semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed. 

**Author's Note**: Wow, that last chapter had a rather unexpectedly overwhelming, and very much appreciated, response. I'm glad people are finding the story enjoyable and not completely hating my guts for messing with canon. Honestly, I have really didn't think anyone was reading it aside from the handful of people that reviewed. And hooray, people like it. 

I haven't really thought about the couples in a while now, I've just been playing with the plotlines and the already existing relationships. I like family ties, it helps to develop the character. I especially love the Spencers and their dysfunctional dynamic which works surprisingly well and pulls them together as a family. As far as couples go, I'm a little conflicted. When I started this story, there was a vague idea of which couples I'd like to have end up together but now… I like Johnny so much on the show that I'm conflicted as to where I'd like to be in the story. I've also like Lorenzo and Carly (before Jennifer Bransford killed the relationship with her complete and utter lack of chemistry with Ted King) but I've been a huge fan of the old Carly (Sarah Brown-verse) and Jason story… Jeeze, what do to, what to do….

**Rating**: T 

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Sliding Sides**

* * *

"Can you enhance that?"

"Is the Jackal not the ultimate cyber assassin?"

"Spinelli…" the warning came with an mincing grip.

"The Jackal requires both arms to be functional in order to provide the Deceptive One with information in an efficient manner so as we may rescue the Fair Lulu." 

"Does he always talk like that?" Logan asked as he threw his jacket on the nearby end table, his blue eyes dark with displeasure. "And you're losing your touch Coop, letting me sneak up on you like that."

"We don't have time for this," Cooper grounded out as he let go of Spinelli's arm and gave Logan a shove. "We've got to find Lulu before Sonny Corinthos finds out that we lost her."

"You two, buddy," Logan said sitting down next to Spinelli and purposely crowding him in a menacing manner. "You boys lost pretty little Lulu Spencer; I had nothing to do with it." 

"The Jackal would ask that the Crabby Commando reframe from referring to Fair Lulu in a derogatory manner." Spinelli didn't even bother looking up as his fingers flew across the keyboard, restructuring the screen's output. 

"What?" Logan asked, shaking his head at the weird little guy. "Speak English."

"The Jackal will ignore the infantile manners of the crude Knuckle Scrapper."  
"Guys," Coop gave them both a warning look, which Spinelli didn't see. 

There was a long silence as Logan reframed from making any more comments, Cooper paced the floors and Spinelli worked while muttering numerical nonsense under his breath. Finally, "I got it. New York license plate with numbers…" he didn't finish as he was alrady hacking his way into the DMV website. "The Jackal shall have the owner of the vehicle extracted in just two nanoseconds." He stopped talking and went to work with delicate fingers over space-age keyboard. "The transportation device used to spirit away the Blonde One is registered to a company under the name of Zacchara Shipping." 

"Zacchara?" Logan sat up now.

"You know of them?" Coop asked as he hurried over to look at the screen over Spinelli's shoulder, as if it would help him find Lulu. "We need an address, Spinelli."

"Heard of them," Logan explained as he also moved closer. "I spent several months in New York City working odd jobs after we came back from Iraq. Zacchara Shipping is the smoke screen behind the Zacchara family. And when I say family, I mean _The Family_."

Spinelli and Cooper both turned and stared a moment. 

"Are we talking…"

"Is the Crabby Comando attempting to infer…."

"Mobsters, guys." Logan gave them both an annoyed look. He shook his head and wondered what the hell was going on and how did Lulu Spencer get involved in all this. "And not your everyday, run of the mills kinds either. From what I heard, these guys don't mess around. You have to tell Corinthos and Morgan. If the Zaccharas are involved, this just got a whole lot nastier." 

-&-&-&-

She shifted as she surfaced to consciousness, moaning softly in pain as her muscles shifted and strained. Though she hadn't thought it was possible, she felt worse than before. 

"Take it easy now," came the calm soothing voice, piercing the darkness softly with its rich gentle tone. "Don't move around too much."

Lulu groaned again and resisted the restraining hand against her shoulder. Licking her dry lips, she forced herself awake and focused with some difficulty on the voice. "What… what happened?"

"You passed out, probably from the blood loss and exhaustion," was the quiet sober reply, bring a bottle of water into view and slipping a straw into the opening. "Drink slow," he instructed as he pressed it to her lips. "Slower than that."

"I'm thirsty," she complained as he pulled the bottle away. 

"I can see that," he brought the bottle back. "Slowly," he insisted. "I don't want you choking on it."

She complied reluctantly and only pulled away when she'd had enough. It took her moment before she found herself looking at her savior again. The light overhead threw shadows across a dark and handsome profile, like that of a fallen angel. "Hi," as if finally realizing he was there.

Sparkles appeared in his dark eyes as he smiled back at her, it lit up his whole face. "Hi yourself. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got ran over by a semi truck," she muttered with a half smile. And though her side hurt, her head pounded and every muscle in her body screamed in agony, she was at least able to smile about it now. It also helped she wasn't scared out of mind and on the run. Speaking of which… she looked around again. "Where are we?"

"Farmhouse about sixty miles from where we were," the guy with the beautiful eyes answered. He turned with a handy-dandy soup-in-a-cup in hand. "You need to eat something. The protein will help built strength."

"You live here?" she answered, taking the cup from him and enjoying the simple salty smell of chick noodles.

He gave a mirthless laugh. "I wish. Life would probably be better if I did."

Lulu wondered for a moment at what could have happened to dim the gentle spirit she could see in the guy's sensually liquid silk eyes. She struggled to sit up which brought his attention back to her. She smiled, just to see if he would smile back; he did. He just seem to sparkle with life when he smiled. She searched her memories for a moment. "Johnny right? I did catch the name before I passed out, right?"

Mr. Sparkles there laughed again, a gentle soft sound that was delightfully charming on him. It chased away the cloud of darkness that hung around him like an intruder. "Yeah," he made a gesture toward her side with his hand, "You want to tell me how you end up with two bullet wounds and a laceration tear?"

Startled, "How'd you …"

Johnny blushed, a slight infusion of color on his tanned cheeks. "I, um…. I had to pull your shirt up to check on the bleed and rebind your wound. I didn't go pass your bandages, I swear."

She laughed softly at his embarrassment of have to admit that he undressed her. "So how was it looking, doc?"

Since she wasn't making a big deal of his taking liberties with her while she was unconscious, he certainly wasn't going to dwell on it either. "Bled pretty good, probably cleaned itself out that way. Other wise, it doesn't look too bad. I cleaned and bandaged the wound as best as I could with what little I had to work with," he gave her an assessing look. "I made the assumption that you didn't want to go to the hospital."

"Why would you assume that?" she asked, sipping the hot soup she had almost forgotten about in her hand.

"Because of how you showed up," he replied quietly. "People that get brought to the house aren't always on the up and up. Though I don't think any of them ever looked quite like you before." He shook his head and wiped his hands, his eyes reflecting some unsaid thought. "So… what's your story?"

For a moment, Lulu considered lying. But Mr. Sparkles there had risked his life to get her out of that creepy place, she owed him at least something. "I was literally at the wrong place at the wrong time," she situated herself a little more comfortably on the bale of hay she was resting against. "Some people were trying to hurt my friends and I… I got in the way."

There was a pause, "Collateral damage?" he asked.

"I guess," she said rather grumpily.

"I'm sorry," he replied softly, sadly.

"Wasn't your fault," she said smiling at him.

He smiled back but there wasn't any sparkles this time. The smile was sad with some unspeakable pain behind it. Lulu wondered about that for a moment. What could have happened to dampen him so? 

Leaves crunched outside the partially opened door.

It took less than a second for Lulu's body to tense with fear and she looked toward the door fully expecting the big bad men to come in with guns blazing. 

"Shh…" Johnny cautioned her with one reassuring hand on her arm as he got up, making little noise and moving with the grace of a predatory feline. He approached slowly, carefully and glanced outside at an angle, never putting himself in the open. A breath later, his entire body relaxed. "It's just a squirrel."

Lulu breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back again, watched as Johnny returned to her side, his hands adjusting the long sleeve shirt over his hips. Her eyes narrowed a bit, wondering at that a movement then silently chided herself for thinking ill of the guy that just saved her life. "I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

"Can't blame you after what you went through," he replied, handing her water again. He sat back studied her a moment with soft eyes. "How the hell did a nice girl like you get into this mess?"

"I was just lucky I guess," Lulu replied with a self-deprecating laugh. "Or maybe it's the Spencer gene in me. Nobody finds trouble like a Spencer finds trouble."

He smiled at her easy acceptance and the sparkles were back in his eyes. "I think I'd be hard press to find another girl that can laugh in your situation." 

She gave a slight shrug. "What am I going to do? Sit in a corner and cry?"

"No one would think less of you for it," he replied genuinely.

"Well, I've never been good at playing victim and I don't really plan on starting now," she answered with a sigh then winced when it pulled on her wound. 

Johnny leaned over and check on the bandage again, careful as to not jar her any. "If you're not in trouble with the law, I think maybe I should take you to a hospital. Is there one you'd prefer? Maybe a doctor you want to see?"

The thought of heading back into town where anyone can find her again made Lulu go cold with fear. "Thank you but…"

"But?" he prompted when she stopped. He frowned at the shifting fear in her eyes. "What is it?"

"But I'd prefer it if I could just stay low for a while," she replied reluctantly. "Look, I'm not asking you to stay and take care of me or anything like that. But if you don't mind," she looked at him hopefully, "could I stay here a few days? Just until I can get my feet on the ground again and figure out what to do next." He went quiet as he looked at her, his countenance sober with concern as his eyes strayed to the wound by her side again. "Don't worry about me," she reached out and gently laid a hand on his, "I'm feeling much better and you did a great job in patching me up again. I will probably go stir crazy before too long and be on the go again in a day… two tops." She stared at him hopefully with her best persuasive smile. 

There was a sigh followed by a shake of his head before Johnny tore his eyes away from her. "You can't stay here by yourself; you could do a lot of damage just by moving around."

"I'll be fine," she assured him, "I'm use to taking care of myself."

"Isn't there someone you can call?" he asked quietly, looking back at her again torn between wanting to please her by agreeing and strangely wanting to protect her by disagreeing with her. "Someone you can trust that could protect you?"

Lulu made a gently uncomfortable face. "I thought I did…" Her blue eyes went dark with anger for a moment but she dismissed it with a quick shake. "Though I guess…" she knew she could call Nikolas or Lucky or even her father and any one of them would come charging to the rescue. But if any of them knew, Jason and Sonny would know… which meant that Coop wouldn't be far behind. She didn't want to see that two-faced lying creep ever again. She might throw her shoe at him if she did… or worse. And then there's the problem of people seemingly coming out of the wood works that were all after her. Who the hell are these guys anyways? And why was Johnny in that house with them?

"What?" he tilted his head and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Did you think of someone?"

She gave him a smile and squeezed his hand back. She wasn't going to question her good luck at meeting up with Johnny. And no one was going to convince her that Johnny was a bad guy. "There are people that I can trust but trusting them to keep me a secret would be hard and put them in possible danger," shaking her head, "and complicate their lives even more. I can't… I won't do that to them." 

He gave a nod of understanding. "So… back to plan A?"

"Back to plan A," she smiled, thankful for his easy acceptance of her words. "Is it okay for me to stay?"

Johnny offered her a lopsided smile and a reluctant sigh. "Yeah… but not alone." He looked around the sparse barn. "I can't stay away for too long but I can protect you for now. But when I move, you have to too. You can't stay here on your own, it's not safe; and I'm not talking just medically either."

There was enough warning in his tone to leave Lulu with an impression. "Okay."

There was a surprised pause. "Really?" more than a little thrown at having won the argument so easily. He had a feeling that she was one of those people that didn't always do as they are told and marched to the beat of their own drums. 

"Yes," with mock offense as his questioning it. "Though…"

"What?" already seeing that she was going to be difficult and finding it more amusing then annoying.

"I really should call someone and make sure they don't worry about the fact that I've up and disappeared."

He pulled out his cell. "It's untraceable."

"How convenient," she quipped as she took it. "Want to tell me why you'd have an untraceable phone?"

"Long story," he answered.

"I've got time," she replied as she dialed a number.

"It's a _very_ long story," he looked away as she dialed the phone, "and one I'm not sure you need to know about."

"Those are the best ones," then frown when the phone was picked up by the services provider. "That's funny…"

"What?"

"No service for the line," she looked at the phone again and dialed another number, an answering service number that she knew very few people had access to. It picked up immediately. "It's Lulu, I'm safe… for now. Something happened and I really need to talk to you. I'm kind of holed up and I had to go under. Your phone didn't pick up so I'm hoping you're picking up your messages from this one and that you're okay. I'll call again when I have a contact line. Bye." She hung up the phone with a frown and felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. She didn't like this.

"You all right?" Johnny asked, taking the phone out of her slack hands.

She made a face and reminded herself that Spencers were hard to kill… and hard to keep down. "Yeah, I think." 

-&-&-&-

The java wasn't doing its job. The jolt of caffeine to his system wasn't having the effect he was hoping for. Then again, this whole day hasn't gone the way he wanted to. 

"Try this," came a helpful suggestion as a paper cup was trust under Cruz's nose. "It's better than the blackened water the Americans call coffee." 

Looking up, Cruz didn't even have the energy to snap at his brother as he look the aromatic joe out of Enrico's hand. He was too tired and heart sick to argue. The rich chocolate laced coffee was warm, smooth and sweetened to perfection bring an euphoric feeling of imaginary content for few moments. "Thank you."

"It's just coffee," Enrico replied with a smile as he enjoyed his own. He had the beans flown up from a small farm he owned in Columbia. It had been ground by Lorenzo's personal chef that morning and brewed under Enrico's watchful eyes. 

"It's never just coffee," Cruz answered automatically then frowned at having allowed himself that moment. His mother use to say things like that, when they first arrived in America, full of fears and hopes. Coffee had been the one thing Anita Santiago refused to skimp on despite their dire straits. Coffee wasn't just a beverage, it was a way of life. 

Enrico savored the companionable moment in silence. After a few moments of the two sipping their coffees with care, he looked at his brother with a critical eye. "You look tired."

"I feel tired," Cruz answered without thought.

"Is everything all right?"

"No," he replied reluctantly. "Nothing is right at the moment. The world seem to be turned on its head."

A sharp pain pierced Enrico's usual armor. "I did not mean to bring you trouble."

"What?" finally looking at his brother. Something in Enrico's eyes made Cruz flinch. "I wasn't talking about you… or me… or my mother," he gave Enrico an evil eye for that last one. "By the way, don't go running to my mother if you've got a problem with me."

Not surprising, "She told you."

"She didn't. She didn't have to. I know when my mother is keeping something from me."

"She means well."

"For who?"

"You," Enrico pointed out impatiently. "Always for you. And if you don't know that by now than you do not deserve her."

That shamed him. And Cruz hated the fact that the mere presence of his father's shadows could reduce him to a shallow knave. "I'm sorry, I've had a really bad night and really bad day so far."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Can you keep the peace?" Cruz asked suddenly.

Startled by the unexpected request, "What?"

Now that the idea has taken form, "Can you get Alcazar to keep the peace with Corinthos? Make everyone's lives around here just a little easier? My partner's sister got shot twice in the last month and had to go into protective custody. He's got an ex-wife that just lost her child, a kid that was fathered by one of the more notorious men in town."

"Morgan," Enrico added, already up on the current situation in town that may effect business and family. Lorenzo kept a tight network of informants high, low and in between. Nothing happens around Port Charles that they don't know about within minutes. Plus there was the tiny little issue of Lorenzo departing suddenly last night, within an hour of their receiving news of the former Mrs. Spencer's arrival at the hospital. He could only hope Lorenzo wasn't doing something they are all going to regret. "I heard."

"From?"

Enrico gave him a look. 

"Forget I ask that," interpreting the look accurately. 

"Already forgotten," he sighed and shook his head. "Things are unstable right now in my world. Too many players with not enough cool heads."

"I didn't want to hear that," Cruz muttered depressingly. 

"Alcazar is not looking to make trouble, little brother. He's a businessman at heart sharing few of his brother and father's more colorful traits. He is also ruled by his emotions, mostly by his undying loyalty to the women in his life. There will be no trouble from him where your partner's sister or her cousin is concerned; he does not go back on his words to those he is loyal to."

"Jeeze," Cruz said sarcastically, "he sounds like such a swell guy. Too bad I know a couple of dozen people dead because of his business."

"I shall not argue with you on that."

That was almost enough to send Cruz back on the anger wagon. "Are you going to keep the peace or not."

"Of course we are," Enrico replied easily, "Corinthos and Alcazar are not the problem. We want peace, for everyone's sake. There are children involved here."

"And when have children ever been…"

"Do not start with me, little brother," Enrico warned, his face dropping all pretense of casual conversation. "They are not Father. These men value their families."

Cruz gave him that. From what little interaction he had with Corinthos and Alcazar, he could see that their children were important to them. "So what are you saying?"

"_We_ are not the problem," he repeated with a frown and a quick shake of his head. Things were going to get ugly soon. "And _that_ is the problem."

-&-&-&-

Holding his fisted hands at his side, Lucky slowly entered the room feeling strangely out of place and out to touch with reality. Emily's red-rimmed eyes looked up and she gave a soft cry as she approached him, enfolding him into her thin arms, offering what small comfort she could… that was Emily: always so very generous with her love, feeling much too much for those around her. Lucky gave himself a moment, allowing his best friend to give him something to hold onto. 

He felt more than heard or saw Nikolas come up behind him. His brother's eyes were sober, pained by that loss of a life that never had a chance. "If there is anything Emily and I can do… just ask okay?" he asked soberly. A prince of a man: that was what Nikolas was; no amount of Cassadine blood could suppress the gentle goodness that Laura Spencer's love had installed in him. 

Lucky nodded and looked pass Emily's shoulder at the still figure of Jason Morgan sitting silently in the corner surrounded by loud and angry Quartermaines arguing around him like annoying bees. He wondered how Jason could be so calm. Lucky couldn't even imagine what it was like… well, actually, he could. It would be like having a piece of his soul ripped out – much like when Maxie had showed him the paternity test that proved the child Elizabeth was carrying, the one that he had hung a thousand hopes and dreams on, wasn't his and that his beloved saint of a wife had lied to him. It was the most painful thing in the world and Lucky wouldn't have wished it on anyone; not even Jason Morgan. 

Passing Emily into Nikolas' arms, Lucky approached slowly. Jason looked up and then stood when Lucky came close. For a long tense moment, neither one of them said a word, there was no words to speak of that would have eased the moment. Then the moment passed and the sorrow shared between them softened their eyes. They understood each other in the moment as no one else could. And as if the last few months of heartache and pain and anger didn't happen, Lucky took a step forward and willingly pulled Jason into a hug, holding the other man a moment to let him know just how very sorry he was… for both of them. "I can't even tell you …" Lucky couldn't get the words out… it seem so contrived and unnecessary. 

"How is she?" Jason said, not returning the hug but not pulling back from it either. He was holding himself rigidly still, afraid of how he might react if he didn't. "How is Elizabeth?"

"Holding on," Lucky answered, understanding that Jason was dealing with this the only way he knew how: he retreated into his shell. "She hasn't woken up yet but the doctor's expect that she will in the next few hours. She lost a lot of blood and it's going to be a long battle ahead." He looked into Jason's blue eyes and added, "She wanted to save the baby no matter what happened to her. She wanted to protect the child and…"

"I know," Jason assured him in a monotone. "She is a good mother."

Lucky nodded his agreement, not sure what else to say.

"Stay with her," Jason advised quietly, ignoring the squawking demands of Edward Quartermaine that Emily was desperately trying to calm. "She needs you… more now than ever."

Understanding what Jason was asking, Lucky nodded his head and quietly added, "You should stay too. I… I'll be around but you need to stay."

Jason shook his head slowly, his mind numb from just too much. "I've got responsibilities I have to attend to."

"You have a responsibility to yourself too," Luck urged quietly, "You need to mourn for your kid and running around saving other people isn't going to do it for you." He leaned in a fraction closer, "This isn't going to be easy on any of us but running from it is just going to get…" he was distracted by the tragically comedic entrance of Logan Hayes, Cooper Barrett and Damien Spinelli. The three had approached the doorway at the same time and spent a good two seconds stuck there before falling into the room. Lucky would have laughed out of pure pity except for one thing, "Barrett," he snapped even as he and Jason took a step forward, "Aren't you suppose to be watching my sister?"

"What happened?" Jason asked, seeing the collectively panicked look on the three faces. "Where's Lulu?"

"Fair Lulu has been abducted by the evil minions of…."

"The Zacchara organization might have her," Coop blurted out, addressing Jason. Lucky may be Lulu's brother but Jason was the one he had to watch out for. 

"You were suppose to be watching her," Jason grounded out between clinched teeth. This was _not_ happening, the last thing he needed right now was to allow Carly's cousin to land in someone else's hand. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," Coop answered honestly. "She was upstairs resting. Spinelli came and we were setting up surveillance around the house…."

Lucky stared at him in shock. "You left her alone?"

"The location was secure and…" he started to defend himself then stopped. There was no excuse. "I screwed up."

"You screwed up?" Lucky wanted to hit the kid in the face as hard as he possible can. "You _screwed_ up? How does that help my sister?"

"Lucky," Nikolas got between Lucky and Cooper before his brother went for the young man's throat. "Calm down," the turned and pinned the officer with a sheering look. First and foremost he was Lulu's brother and right now, his sister was missing. "Tell us what happened."

"We're still not sure," Logan stepped up and gave his friend a look that said, _"Pull yourself together."_ Glancing at the three male faces in front of him, he choice the one he worked for. "No signs of forced entry, no indication of an actual abduction," he turned and gave Spinelli an quelling look. "The only thing we have to go on is a car registered to Zacchara Shipping having passed by about four miles away due East. Coop and I found no trails around the house in or out but there wasn't much around there to go on." 

"The Zaccharas," Jason repeated under his breath. The name was too familiar for his liking. 

"Stone Cold," Spinelli piped up. "Your diligent grasshopper has pulled all relevant information accessible on the evil doers for his master," and handed over several sheets of printed paper. 

Jason didn't even glanced at the paper before passing them to Lucky, who scanned it with quick precise detective's eyes. Jason's phone rang before he got a chance to ask anything. "Morgan." He paused, hearing the panicked voice on the other line rattle on for a moment with excuses that made no sense to him. "Slow down, what happened?" the answer made the world around him stop.

Lucky looked up, saw the color drain from Jason's usually stoic face and felt his stomach sink. "What's happened?"

Looking up and still holding the buzzing phone in his hand, Jason bit back his rising fear with some difficulties. "Carly just went missing."

_To be continued…_

Too much?


	16. Choices

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walk Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show or have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of reviews.

**Summary**: Lorenzo makes a decision, Johnny hides Lulu, Jason is stuck in a hard place while Lucky comforts Liz.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out of any kind of semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed.

**Author's Note**: My recent reaction to the storyline on GH… blah! I will say that I'm enjoying the interplay between Johnny and Claudia in there inexplicably sweet sibling moments and not the mob related stuff. They look like a brother and sister reconnecting after a long time with a great deal of uncertainty and affection. The two actors are fantastic at what they do and I'm actually looking forward to more.

By the way, I really like the actor that plays Trevor. I'll even go so far as to say that I like the Trevor character. He's the perfect bad guy that everyone hates and wants to kill. He's clever, slimy, evil and manipulative… just as a villain should be. I'm definitely going to keep him around more.

And this week, I officially hate Sonny. His shoot first and question later attitude is what got him into trouble in the first place and here he is… doing it again! Lovely. The guy is an idiot.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 16 - Choices

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"When?"

"We found out just now."

"How long as she been missing?"

"Five or six hours now. Apparently her guard didn't immediately report the problem."

Lorenzo growled something unintelligible and got up to pace. "I want all security around Skye and Lila Rae tightened to the point of choking her."

"Skye is going to object," Enrico reminded him. The roll between the two when Lorenzo had spent the mother of his child away had been something terrible to watch. Skye Chandler Quartermaine was no meek mouse looking for someone to take care of her. And she was definitely no coward. Only the safety of her child had convinced her to leave the country.

"I don't care," Lorenzo grounded out in frustration. The news of Lulu Spencer's disappearance had been an unexpected turn of events. He had thought Morgan was better at this. But that was neither here nor there. His more immediate concerns were to retrieve the girl and to make sure her cousin was also safe. "Has there been any word from Brazil?"

"Mrs. Corinthos didn't show up there."

Not surprised at all by this, "Any way to track her?" and though he had assured her that he wouldn't look for her, he wasn't going to leave it to chance.

"She ditched her pilot in the Cayman Islands and boarded another private jet. The flight log we bribed from the control tower says it was headed to New York."

"New York?" that was a bit of a surprise. "What the hell is Carly doing there?"

"I've got men looking into it already but so far we haven't found a trace of her since she landed."

"She disappeared?"

"As far as we can see."

"Was she seen getting off the plane?" That was his immediate concern. If someone grabbed her at the airport, there would be witnesses. No one can disappear at JFK without someone seeing _something_.

"Yes."

Lorenzo nodded. "And afterward?"

"She hailed a taxi and took off; no luggage. La senora is traveling light and moving fast. We're looking for the driver now." Enrico didn't tell Lorenzo that they've not heard from their operatives there yet and that the chances of them finding the driver was slim. Nowhere else in the world were the streets so clogged with taxi cabs. It was too easy for the former Mrs. Corinthos to hop several taxis and simply disappear in such a big city. Finding her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack while standing in a fully stocked hayloft.

"Keep working on it," Lorenzo poured himself a drink, his mind churning with the possibilities of what may have happened. "Lulu Spencer…"

"According to what Morgan's people have dug up…"

"We have someone on the inside?" it wasn't easy to surprise Lorenzo but this came as news. Morgan was notorious for diligently following up on personnel checks.

"No," Enrico smiled with amusement. "We have people at the hospital. They reported a conversation overheard."

"Oh." Somehow, it didn't really make it any better.

Though he knew Lorenzo was going to react badly, Enrico didn't beat around the bush. Besides, he was going to find out sooner or later. "Morgan's people suspects the Zaccharas out of New York."

"What?" the sharpness in his voice cut through like a hot knife.

"Car registered to the Zaccharas were seen near where young Ms. Spencer disappeared. Could be un coincidencia pero…"

"Inglés, Enrico," Lorenzo reprimanded without any heart as he threw back the drink in one gulp. "I don't like this. The chances of this all happening at the same time: Carly in New York, Lulu disappearing in the same area that a Zacchara transport was seen…" he glanced over his shoulders at Enrico. When it came to business, Lorenzo knew that Enrico was much more clear headed than he at times like this. "What are your thoughts?"

Keeping in mind what he had told his brother and added to this news of possible involved of the unpredictable Zaccharas, "I think we have underestimated Morales."

"You believe _he_ is behind this?"

"Possibly. I think Morales realizes that we are no allies in this territorial war and has reached out to someone else."

"The Zaccharas," Lorenzo nodded with perfect understanding, not sure why he hadn't thought of that. _"Perhaps because the women in your life have tangled you up once more."_ It made sense… too much sense. "The Zaccharas are dangerous on good days; down right nasty on the bad. But they're not stupid. Moving into Port Charles with Corinthos and I both holding ground here… it would be a very unwise move."

"Not if they have leverage against the both of you they believe strong enough to make an impression," Enrico pointed out with a raised brow. "Say in the form of a universally beloved former wife?"

That certainly didn't go over well. Cursing the three difference languages, Lorenzo hauled his empty glass into the fireplace. "Families are suppose to be off limits."

"Anthony Zacchara is said to be… dangerous. The man does not play by most rules that governs even us. There are some that say that he is a little on the loco side. Family means very little to a man that is not always living in this world."

There was much to think about, much to do if the Zaccharas are trying to move into the territory. Things could get ugly real fast and Carly and her family could get caught in a dangerous crossfire. "Get me confirmation that the Zaccharas are involved. I don't want to make a move on them unless I know they've taken the first step." And all out war must be avoided at all costs… unless the Zaccharas fired the first shot. Then _everything_ was fair gamed.

"I'll put people on it." Enrico moved to leave, eager to get started now that they have a course of action in place.

"Enrico," he called out, forestalling his friend. "General Morales…" he reminded him of their _other_ little unfortunate problem.

"Yes?" the look in Lorenzo's eyes is one he'd seen before. The dangerous man that ran an international arms dealing empire was coming out to play. You don't double cross an Alcazar and think to come away unscathed.

Lorenzo didn't blink as he looked at Enrico with a nod and his voice dripped coldly. "You were right. Have the Santos brothers pay him a visit. I grow tired of dealing with that man and his little games."

It would have been wrong for Enrico to smile, so he didn't; though his lips did twitch a little. With a mocking bow and glint of appreciation in his eyes, "Of course," he retreated.

-&-&-&-

The door slammed shut and Jason glared at the five men crowded around the desk. "I want everything you have." He didn't sit down, didn't really want to stand either but forced himself to hold still. "Max!" when no one made a sound.

Max swallowed nervously and fingered his collar a moment. He's seen Mr. Corinthos angry, madder than hell and ready to shoot someone, but he's never seen Jason this close to the edge. And while Jason's face remained still and emotionless, the look in his eyes… This was definitely scarier than facing the boss. Clearing his throat, "Eddie called and said he needed to talk to you. I told him you were busy and to leave a message. He said he went in to check on Mrs. C like you said at two-thirty. She didn't answer the door. He figured that she was sleeping, resting or something so he didn't bother to check. He went in again at five, brought some food for her. Knocked again, no answer; he checked this time and found the place empty. Searched the area: halls, roofs, restaurants and stuff… nothing."

"So Carly could have been missing up to four hours before anyone knew anything," Jason reined in the need to shout something, something like how they manage to lose her in the first place. "Tell them to start combing the beaches, Carly likes to walk the beach when she's upset." He didn't elaborate on why she might be upset; it was none of their goddamn business anyways. "And add pool halls to the list of places to check." He racked his brains trying to think of anywhere else she might be. "Have them check the hotels, five stars only. She might have hated the apartment and moved herself into somewhere nicer," which he should have done before he left. He was hoping, praying that Carly left on her own. _"And we know why she would leave, won't we? Because she doesn't think she can trust you anymore… just like you didn't trust her enough to share you most dangerous secret."_ His heart contracted for a second. Because if Carly hadn't run off then someone has her. Someone grabbed her right out from under their… _his_ protection. He was suppose to protect her and he didn't. Just like he was suppose to trust her and he didn't. If she's missing, if she's hurt: it was on him.

"Stone Cold?" Spinelli held up his hand tentatively, not the least bit comfortable at the silence.

"What did you find out?" he asked sharper than he'd like. The kid was working hard, he knew that but time was a wasting.

"Unfortunately, nothing," Spinelli confessed. "There has been no activities under the Valkyrie's name nor bank transactions or credit card usage. It appears she has vanished from the digital world."

"Leave that to someone else," Jason ordered carefully as he held himself perfectly still. "I want you to start working on the Zaccharas. Get me anything you have that links them to us, Lulu or Carly. I want surveillance footage if you can tap into their…"

"No can do, Stone Cold," he interrupted regretfully. "The Jackal has already attempted to infiltrate the Deviant One's cyber space. The Evil doers apparently are very up to date on the latest form of security endeavors: they are on close circuit systems. I've been attempting to hack into their corporate servers but that will take time as they have erected an awesome firewall that the Jackal has yet to penetrate." He made a face that conveyed that he was suitably impressed and annoyed.

"Keep working on it, I want to know everything that's happened with the Zaccharas starting from a week ago," he looked pointedly at Cooper and Logan. "Go back to the house, I want the area combed again in daylight." Jason glared at Milo when the younger man opened his mouth to volunteer for the position; Milo subsided reluctantly. Cooper nodded and headed for the door but Jason stopped him with a carefully toned observation, "You were suppose to be watching her."

He didn't deny it, didn't want to. He screwed up and he was willing to face the consequence for it. As it was, the police department was none too happy with him for following Morgan's advice about taking Lulu out of PC jurisdiction in the first place. Coop couldn't justify why he did it, only that he made a judgment call for Lulu's sake. Adding Morgan's wrath to it wasn't really an issue. Right now, finding Lulu was the priority… and he knew Jason wasn't going to put a vendetta above that.

"Stay away from Lucky and Nikolas until we can find Lulu," Jason advised with a look that spelled danger. It wasn't just Lulu's brothers he was suppose to stay away from and not say anything to; if Cooper spills his beans about his connection to the Corinthos Organization, bad things would happen. Turning to Logan, who was watching the two with disturbed and curious eyes, "Report in every hour, on the hour. Sonny wants details about what happened."

Logan glanced briefly at Cooper, who avoided his gaze, before nodding carefully. It didn't take a detective to see something was afoot here. "You'll hear from us soon."

The two left and the silence extended for a moment.

Jason sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm heading down to Florida," he told Max. "Have the plane ready to leave in…"

"Um…" Max almost winced at the look Jason shot him. "Mr. C wants you to stick around. This General Morales guy is going to be making more trouble and Mr. C wants you to help him find that guy. Milo and I are suppose to oversee the search for Mrs. C and Lulu" He gave Jason an apologetic wince, knowing that this was going to be a hard thing. No one in Port Charles really understood the friendship between Jason and Mrs. C; no one that didn't get to see an up-close and personal view of them together anyways. "I'm sorry," he offered lamely.

Taking the advise he often gave Carly, Jason took a breath and mentally counted to ten. Then he cursed silently and rapidly in French under his breath. He didn't do it often but when he did, he did it well… and in another language. Another little quirk of his that he couldn't really explain to anyone and Carly was the only one that ever asked or cared. "Why? Why does Sonny need me here? What could be more important than finding Carly?"

Milo made a face and looked at his brother with sympathy. No one wants to say no to Jason Morgan – it is usually bad for their health. And the look Max was getting from Jason… well, if looks could kill, their mother's heart would be breaking. Stepping in and feeling incredibly stupid, he awkwardly explained, "Mr. Corinthos said that there's been movement with General Morales' camp. Alcazar called another meeting. Mr. Corinthos wants you here for it." He too gave Jason an apologetic look and prepared himself to duck if Jason blows a gasket.

Jason counted to ten again and logically went through all the reasons Sonny could have had to keep Jason from looking for the mother of _his_ children. Forget the fact that Max and Milo are the best of their crew and are probably just as capable of looking for Carly's whereabouts as Jason would. Or the fact that their livelihood, not the mention their very lives, are being threatened by a mob family that were known to practice "scorched earth" methods in dealing with their opponents. Or that Carly would probably be frantic over the fact that her precious baby cousin might be in the hands of those same ruthless people that now threatened _her_ life. Or the fact that going to Florida would mean _not_ going home to his _empty_ apartment, staring at an _empty_ crib and wondering what he was going to do with all those lovely baby toys that Carly had been accumulating in one corner of the nursery he had only just begun to create for his lost child.

"Stone Cold?" Spinelli stared with apprehension, never having seen Jason so angry or so lost. "Perhaps it would be wise for you to…"

Jason shook his head, mentally ticking off all the things he needed to do… keeping his mind occupied so he wasn't thinking of things he had no control over and cannot change. "Get down to Florida," he directed the words to Milo, "coordinate with the guys down there and find Carly; whatever it takes. Max, I want to you to keep an eye on Cooper Barrett and Logan Hayes; I don't want those two screwing up again. And put a man on Spinelli, make sure his apartment is secured. Spinelli, get back to your apartment and get working on getting me everything you have on the Zaccharas; I want an update in an hour." He took a breath and told himself to do what needs to get done. Carly was smart, she knew how to take care of herself even when she's hurt. Hell, Carly only swings harder at people when she's upset; he just hoped it wasn't going to get her killed.

-&-&-&-

"You don't have to sit there and watch over me, you know," Lulu smiled, her big blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I'm just making sure you don't bleed all over the hay; the horses aren't going to like that very much," Johnny informed her as he adjusted the blanket around her carefully. "They're vegetarians you know."

It was such a ridiculous thing to say that Lulu didn't really have much choice but to laugh. "Well, I'll try to make sure to bleed only on the blanket. Can't have the horse breaking their diets because of me."

"How very considerate of you," he gave her a sparkling smile that dimmed when his phone chirped to life. He glanced at it briefly and hesitated, looking up to catch Lulu's curious eyes on him. "I'm sorry," pointing to the phone, "but I really need to get this."

"Go right ahead," she waved him off as he stood, "don't let me keep you."

"Try to get some rest, okay?" he advised as he inched toward the door, watching her carefully as he back out of the barn.

She waved cheerfully at him and snuggled into the bed of blankets he had created for her to sleep in. She looked beautiful laying there: a golden-haired seraph from the heavens. People like her shouldn't have to suffer like this.

Regrets warred with old anger as he shut the door and answered the phone. The shield came over his features just before he answered with an impatient, "What?"

"John."

Just the voice was enough to trigger a reaction. Holding himself still, "What do you want Trevor?"

"You didn't come home last night, John. We were worried."

"I decided to take a drive and stay out. No big deal." Johnny knew that it wasn't true but held onto the illusion with the strength of the desperate. He needed _something_ to retain what was left of his sanity.

There was a short pause. "Your father's been asking for you."

Even knowing it was coming didn't keep his stomach from twisting painfully. "Tell him I'll see him when I come home."

"And when will that be?"

Clinching his teeth and more than aware that Lulu was just beyond the thin walls behind him and not in any condition to be moved yet, "When I'm damn well ready to come home."

"John," Trevor began in that infuriatingly placid tone of this, as if handling a difficult child… or Johnny's father. "You know how your father gets when you're not around. Whatever it is that has you wondering around out there can wait; your father needs you right now."

"No he doesn't," already feeling the anger boiling over in his throat, it was the same song and dance. "All he wants is to control me and keep him a prisoner in that house. What he needs is professional help." He didn't know why he was even wasting his breath. It's been the same argument for years now. "I'll come home when I'm ready to come home."

"John…"

"Don't call again," he snapped and hung up the phone. A bead of nervous sweat formed between his brows. He understood perfectly well just how his father gets when he disobeys; bad things happen when Anthony Zacchara didn't get his way and Johnny could only hope that Trevor doesn't send the hounds out after him. If any of them gets wind of his involvement in breaking Lulu out of the estate there would be hell to pay… for Lulu. And it could only get worse if they actually found him with her.

Turning his phone off, Johnny entered the barn quietly, watching Lulu for a second in silence. She looked exactly as she was: an innocent girl that got caught in the crosshairs of something bigger than her… just as other have been. Letting Trevor and his goons find her was out of the question. God only know what they'd do to her. And as weak as she is right now, there wouldn't be any way for her to defend herself against them. Which means he's got to come up with another solution before hell descends on them.

And these friends of hers, the one she was willing put herself in front of, who the hell were they and how the hell do they fit into all this? He can't imagine they were just anyone off the streets. Trevor and his father aren't some street punks that work for pennies and move fenced goods. They were high power players, Johnny understood that much. So how far does this go? And just how much trouble has Johnny landed himself in by taking off with Lulu? Not that he really had a whole lot of choices; he couldn't just leave her there.

With a resigned sigh, Johnny situated himself by Lulu's side again, watching as she drafted peacefully to a place where all of this couldn't touch her. It made him smile to see her like this, peaceful and sweet – an endearing contrast to her slightly loud and vibrant spirit when she was awake. She should always be like this, out of harms way. He couldn't really explain why he felt the need to protect her from Trevor and the rest of those out there but he did. Maybe because it was just something to do, maybe it was to piss off Trevor, maybe he didn't like to see a girl cry, maybe he couldn't walk away from her bleeding in his garage because of… Johnny swallowed that thought painfully. Whatever the maybes may be, he's already made a decision.

He was going to make sure Lulu stays alive.

And to do that he needed some answers and he needed them fast; before both of them end up dead.

-&-&-&-

Emily brushed a lock of hair from her best friend's face and hold her breath as Liz gave a painful moan. Reaching for the ice chips she had constantly refilled, Emily waited until eyes began to flutter to slip a chip between dry cracked lips. "You're probably dehydrated by now. Just suck on these for a little while."

Liz blinked back the pain that radiated through her body and tried to speak around the icy chip on her dry tongue. "Lu…. Lu…"

"Lucky is right outside," Emily informed her, correctly guessing who she was asking for when everything went to hell. "He's just calling the precinct, he'll be right back." She forced more ice into her friend's mouth, hoping to forestall the inevitable. "He's been here this whole time, never left your side." She smiled, her face infused with pride and affection. Emily remembered a time when Lucky wasn't so reliable.

Nodding her tired head, Liz continued to suck on the ice chips, her throat parched. Everything was fuzzy except for the knowledge that Lucky was there; he hadn't left her. It made her warm from the inside even as she was wrecked with pain to know that he kept his word. Swallow hard and wincing at the raw feeling in her throat, no doubt from a trachea tube, she carefully try to ask, "Where's… how's the baby?"

Hands frozen, her heart in her throat, Emily felt herself tear up without meaning to. She was saved from having to answer by the door opening.

Lucky took one look at Emily's face and knew that Liz had already asked the question none of them will ever have a good answer to.

Facing lighting up, Liz struggled a moment to sit up. "Lucky…" the whispered word was barely audible and she was about to say something more, maybe ask him to come over when Nikolas followed his brother into the room. He too saw Emily's reaction and turned eyes that were shocked with disbelief and pain to Liz. There was a horrible silence as Liz turned from one friend to another and settled her gaze back to Lucky. It was his face that told her. He wore the same haunted look the day he realized that the child Liz carried wasn't his… that _his_ child was gone. Liz shook her head in denial. "No."

Holding her own tears back, Emily tried to embrace her friend. "Liz… there were complications and…"

"No!" Liz shook and pulled away from Emily, not allowing her friend to give her comfort. She didn't want it, didn't need it because her child was _not_ gone. It wasn't. "No, no, no…" she swallowed hard to wet her dry painful throat. "Tell them… tell them to bring me my baby. Tell me!" She reached weakly for the bedside call button. Her hands were shaking too hard to catch hold of the controls. "Bring me my baby; give me my baby." She turned her liquid eyes to Lucky, who had gently pulled Emily aside. "Please Lucky?" Her lips trembled and she begged with her eyes for him to make this right. "Please?"

He didn't say a word, didn't know what to say to help her; but really there was no words in the universe that was going to be of any comfort to the insurmountable pain she been dealt. He climbed into the bed, pulling her into his side as he had before and held her tightly, letting the news sink in. It took another moment…

But eventually the reality set in. And then Liz cried. She raged and screamed and wept and clung to the only thing was real to her. And then she cried some more. She cried until she was dry a from the inside and then she cried some more after that. There was nothing she could do but cry. So she did.

Though she didn't see it, didn't hear it, didn't realize it, Lucky cried silently with her. Because there was nothing he could do either but cry for her. So he did.

-&-&-&-

The sun was shining just a little too bright and the air felt dry and fresh with the unwashed taste of dirt. It wasn't exactly a happy welcome but at least it was free and clear of any kind of troubles. Heading toward the international currency exchange, she got enough money to hopefully see her through the week and headed for a car rental place. She hated driving but this was a necessity she couldn't get around. Getting the car was easy and getting the prepaid phone was even easier. No one questioned you when you pay in cold hard cash.

Heading toward a small motel close to the small airstrip she had landed in, Carly checked herself in under a name she hadn't used in a long time, Caroline Benson, paid cash for two nights' stay, bought some dry goods at the local liqueur store and settled in. She hadn't gotten so comfortable with the good life that she didn't know how to live on pennies and stay down wind of the law. Not knowing her next step yet, she checked on her boys first using the secured number Jason had given her. The short conversation with Michael and Morgan did a great deal to cheer her depressive mood. She managed to avoid giving her mother too many answers that would concern her before saying goodbye and promising to call again soon.

A quick phone call to check messages at the hotel had her frowning. It wasn't like Lulu to be so cryptic, not with her. It didn't sound good. Spencers attracted trouble like no one else she knew and if Lulu was in trouble… Who was she kidding? Of course Lulu was in trouble, why else would there be a phone call? With a sigh, she called one of the last people she wanted to speak with but one of the few she knew could keep a secret.

"Spencer."

"What's happened to Lulu?" she asked without preamble.

"Well, well…" Luke's voice didn't hold any of his usual sarcastic tones. In fact, it sounded tired… resigned and old.

"What's wrong?" she demanded. The fact that Luke didn't immediately make a snide remark told her bad things were in play.

"Elizabeth lost the baby," Luke answered without beating around the bush. He was too tired and heartsick to play his usual games with his niece. "You've got your exes in an uproar looking for you. Where are you?"

"Not important," chewing her bottom lip. She instinctively asked, "Is Elizabeth okay?" and then wondered at herself for a moment.

If Luke was surprised by Carly's unexpected concern for Liz Webber, he didn't show it in any way or form. "She's hanging on. Where are you?"

"Somewhere safe for now," she conceded with a sigh. Luke's been through enough for the day. "How's Lucky and Jason?"

"Lucky is with Liz. Jason is looking for you."

The bottom of her stomach dropped out. "Damn it."

"You picked a bad time to go AWOL, Caroline."

She didn't dignify that comment with a response; her mind was already churning with thoughts. Plus she'd have to admit to her uncle that he's right if she said anything. "What's happening with Lulu?"

Luke was silent for a long moment, he didn't question how Carly knew. "We don't know what's happened to my girl. She's just gone."

A parent's fear for their child is the worse kind of torture in the world. She wouldn't do that to her worse enemy much less family – for better or for worse. "I got a message from her on my answering service. She says she's safe for now."

"You've heard from her?" the anxiety in Luke's voice said a great deal.

"Just a message, nothing more. She said she'd call again when she's got a line to call from but for now, she's okay."

"Of course she is," Luke pronounced, "She's a Spencer. Spencers always land on their feet."

Carly almost asked who Luke was trying to convince, her or himself. "I'll call you if I hear from Lulu again. In the meantime, don't tell anyone I called."

There was a pause as Luke considered this. "Thanks. And here's a little piece of free advice for my dear sweet niece," his voice suddenly turned serious, "Don't run from Sonny and Jason. They're your best hope of staying alive through all this. Something don't smell right with this whole shenanigan and I would hate to see my baby sister cry over you."

That was as close to an admission of concern over her as Carly was ever going to get from Luke. "Don't worry, _Uncle_ Luke. I'm a survivor and I take after my mother, I _always_ land on my feet."

"Damn straight," Luke muttered louder than he intended. "What are you up to Caroline?"

"Nothing," she replied tiredly, exhausted really. It felt like she was always reacting to something or other. She was so sick of just flying by the seat of her pants these day. "For once, nothing."

"Where are you?"

"Safe," she answered again. "I'll get in touch as soon as I've got things settled."

"What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"Just don't say anything, okay Luke? Can you please do that for me?" she asked… no, she begged. She needed time… enough time to get her head straight again. But she knew that wasn't going to be possible. As painfully numbed as she was with all her revolutions about her relationship with Jason, she knew he must be in a world of hurt right now and would never allow anyone to see it. And as many times as she's told herself that Jason didn't need her as he's proven and that he's told her often enough to just stay out of his life, she couldn't stop herself from hurting for him.

"Carly?" Luke's voice was quiet, disturbed by not just the events happening in Port Charles but by pleading in his niece's voice. Something happened; something bad enough to force Carly to run… even from Jason. Spencers don't run from much but when they did, it was usually something big enough to tear them apart. "I'll keep quiet if you keep me informed about Lulu."

As a trade off, it wasn't much more than a show and they both knew it. But Carly and Luke were alike enough to play along. "Okay. I'll be in touch," she didn't say bye before she hung up; Luke wouldn't have expected her to.

Before she could consider it too much, she called Sonny's line. He was, after all, the father of her children. She owed him at least a call. There was no need for him or anyone else to worry about her. She was just fine… she could take care of herself. She really should be use to it by now. Despite all that self assuring talk to herself, the voice mail that picked up was almost a relief tinged with disappointment. "It's Carly. I'm okay. I'll be in touch later." She hung up before she said or ask anything she may regret. It was better to keep thing short and to the point, not rambling on as Sonny was always telling her to stop doing.

"Okay, that's taken care of. Now what?"

Torn between self-preservation and her loyalty to the one man that's never abandoned her, Carly felt her eyes tear up with frustration. It would be so much safer, emotionally anyways, if she just stay here and allow her heart to mend. But how could she stay away? Between her suddenly uncertain place in Jason's life, Jason's heartbreaking loss and Lulu's unexpected disappearance, nothing was right in the world. _"How had everything gotten so complicated so quickly?"_ Her first impulse was the hop on a plane and get back home as soon as humanly possible. And just a day ago, she would have gone with that instinct and not question it. But now…. Would her presence in Port Charles help? Or would it just be another hindrance? Jason and Sonny were forever telling her to stop interfering and just let them handle things… isn't it about time she listened?

Getting up, she paced the little motel room with it's loud air conditioner and grandmotherly patterned wallpapers. The Metro Court this was not. She missed having her big bathtub in her own private suite she kept for herself. She missed her boys. She missed Jason and Sonny… and even Jax, though the man was forever running out on her. She missed Lulu. She missed Max and Milo and all her other shadows. She even miss the noisy furnace in her basement she kept meaning to replace. She missed home.

But should she go home? Was she ready to when she had just barely left?

"Who are you kidding, Carly?" she muttered as she snatched her phone up viciously and dialed out again. "Hello? Captain Reynolds? It's Caroline Benson; you brought me in this morning? No, no, everything is fine. I'm okay. But I was wondering, how long would it take for you to fuel your plane?"

_To be continue…_

**Author's 2****nd**** Note**: I've decided… Lorenzo is a much better mobster than Sonny ever will be. There's a problem, eliminate the problem with extreme prejudice: problem solved. I love Lorenzo… why did he have to go? And the Zaccharas… I've decided to play them off as the enemy… a real one. With the exception of my beloved Johnny of course. And of course… we'll see how it goes.


	17. Haunted

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walk Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in reviews.

**Summary**: Logan questions Cooper, Johnny takes Lulu on the run, Georgie turns to Spinelli for answers and Carly falls back on old habits.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out of any kind of semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed.

**Author's Note**: The new storyline with Michael was good, very good in fact… in the sense that it gave Laura Wright a wealth of emotions to play with. She was fantastic. Not since the first Carly (Sarah Brown, now the deliciously fantastic Claudia Zacchara) has anyone really made me like this character. I thought she was good before but now… wow! Props to Steve Burton as well; Jason actually got to show some actual emotion… even more so then when Alan and Emily died. It's just starting to get good.

Now having said all that, I'm easing it from my memory and getting on with my own story. Enjoy!

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 17 – Haunted

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"Do I even want to know?" Logan's voice was tight and just this side of ugly as he pulled into the driveway of Carly's former residence. The house was bathed with light now, revealing the beauty of the colonial architecture hidden behind an array of willow trees that obscure the building but enhance the serenity of the place. It was easy to see why Carly Corinthos had once chosen the house to raise her children in.

Cooper was surprised that his friend had waited this long to ask. Logan wasn't exactly known for his restraint or patience. But honestly, he didn't want to get into this right now. "It's a long story."

"Really?" Logan set the car to park and yanked on the brakes hard enough to break something. "'Cause right now, we've got an hour to kill while we search for clues and I'm all ears about how and why Jason Morgan would be giving you a warning that carries a double edge to it. I'm not stupid Coop, I can read between the lines like the rest of the class here. What's going on?"

"Not now, Logan," Coop said as he exited the car and hurried to the house. The faster they find something, the faster they find Lulu. And that's all that mattered right now.

"Now would be the perfect time," Logan followed at a more leisurely pace. "We're alone and a little truth would help the situation here. What's Morgan got on you?"

"Nothing."

"That's bull and you know it."

"Logan," Coop turned, his eyes sharp with warning, "Leave it alone."

He took that advise for about three seconds then grabbed Coop by the arm, catching the taller man's attention. With blue eyes so serious it was almost dark, he leaned in close to convey his intentions. "You and me, we've gone to hell and back. Don't screw around with me here. What's going on with you? And why does it sound like you're batting for two teams here?"

"It doesn't matter right now," shoving Logan away. "The only thing that's important is finding Lulu."

"We'll find Lulu," Logan assured him with a dangerous edge, "but I ain't counting on it costing me my life if I don't. So you want to tell me why you're so desperate to…" but something in the way Coop moved, the way he said the girl's name, "Oh hell, please don't tell me you're cheating on Maxie Jones, your boss' daughter?"

"I'm not cheating on Maxie," Coop replied rather indignantly. He wouldn't… couldn't cheap on Maxie. "There's nothing going on between Lulu and me."

"Right," Logan nodded his head with a smirk, "Just unrequited love on your part."

Cooper glared and stalked off toward the back.

"I didn't hear a 'no,'" Logan called after him.

"Shut up and get to work, Hayes," Coop snapped, checking the tree above his head. People seldom look above for attacks, a little piece of wisdom from an army sergeant that lost a few buddies that way. "How heavy do you suppose Lulu is?"

Logan shook his head. "A hundred, a hundred and five, give or take. And that was a good non sequitur. But try again."

"Logan…"

"What does Morgan have on you?"

"Nothing," Cooper gritted his teeth and held onto this patience. He did not want Logan to get involved in the whole thing. It was bad enough that Maxie knew too much as it was, but Logan… Logan might actually do something about it. "Can we get back to this? Please?" he circled the tree carefully, giving it a wide berth.

Shaking his head, Logan picked his way on top of the protruding roots of the great big tree beside the house. "You'll have to talk about this sooner or later," Logan pointed out as he dug his fingers in and climbed upwards, "Because I won't be the only one to ask the question. And if I knew what you're dealing with, it might be easier for me to help you."

"I don't want or _need_ your help," his patience wearing thin.

"Really, 'cause from where I'm standing, you're doing a bang up job of not getting yourself into more trouble than you appear to already to be in with Morgan."

"Logan, you need to leave this alone."

"Cooper," looking down from his perch on a fat branch ten feet above Coop's head, "You and me have been through too much for me to just leave you to hang. We've literally depended upon each other with our lives so why don't you show a little faith and just tell me." Logan deep blue eyes narrowed very carefully, "Because if you don't, I'm going to start asking questions and you _really_ don't want that."

Coop looked up and glared at his former comrade-in-arms. "Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a friendly warning from a friend," Logan replied touching the scraps made by a lighter person across the branch nearest to the second story window. "Looks like we've got something up here."

"What?"

"Lulu left on her own," Logan concluded pulling out his camera. "These gouges don't look deep enough to have been made by a full grown man. And there's only one set of marks." He touched down and touched the splintered edges. "She probably got out the same way I'm getting in," taking a few pictures, he stood up on the branch, testing his weight on it carefully before moving toward the house. "I don't think it would have taken too much…" his eyes narrowed and crouched again.

"Did you find something else?"

Logan looked down, his eyes showing something dangerous. "Why would she leave, Coop? What could Lulu have found out yesterday that made her run from you?"

Jaws clinched, Cooper replayed yesterday in his head, remembering the frustratingly defenseless conversation he had with Spinelli. If Lulu caught any of it…. "Shit."

"Coop," Logan made his way back toward the ground. When he was facing his friend again, there was serious concern in his eyes. "There was blood. I found blood up there. She was bleeding when she climbed out of that window. I can't imagine that was too comfortable for her. Now, I'm going to ask you again: what did she learn that made her run?"

All the color drained out of Coop's face. "She was bleeding?" he could only imagine what kind of state she was in now.

Logan didn't like that look. "Weak and on the run, if someone was after her, she would have been easy prey."

"Damn it," Coop ran a quick hand through his hair. "She wasn't suppose to know. She wasn't suppose to ever find out. No one was."

"Find out what?" Logan asked quietly. This wasn't something he was going to let go of any time soon.

Cooper could feel his world closing in on him. Everything he's tried to work for in the last few months was crashing around him. And worse yet, his past was coming back to haunt him with a vengeance. Lulu knew and Lulu ran… which put her right in the path of some dangerous people… because she had been running from him. "When we came back from the war… when I got back … I was lost," he looked at his friend with eyes still haunted by some of what he saw on the other side of the world. "I didn't really know how to survive and I got mixed up in something I knew was wrong."

For as long as Logan had known Coop, the guy had never strayed from the straight and narrow. Cooper Barrett had been everyone's perfect soldier, disciplined and obedient to the core. But what they saw on Iraq changed a lot of them. Some of them came back better men; some of them came back broken shells. Logan had always assumed that Coop had a strong background that saved him from some of the horror stories the older soldiers told about the lost ones that came home. "What did you do Coop? What could you have possibly done to…"

"I got people killed. I almost got Lulu and her family killed," Coop admitted with a deep breath and a foreboding fear. "And I think I may have done it again."

-&-&-&-

Lulu stirred in her sleep and then jerked awake with a gasp.

"Easy now," Johnny murmured close to her ear.

"What are you doing?" Lulu asked, fighting panic when she realized he was carrying her in his arms.

"Putting you in the car," he explained, lowering her slowly into the front seat, carefully tucking the scratchy blanket around her to keep her warm. He hadn't missed the fact that she had been shivering terribly in the barn. She didn't complained, hadn't said anything but it was hard for Johnny to see her uncomfortable like this. "It's not safe here anymore."

She stared at him, confusion and exhaustion clouding her eyes.

"Trust me, we have to go now," he explained quickly, closing the car door. "I'll be right back."

Staring after him, Lulu told herself that everything was going to be fine. Johnny had no intentions of hurting her or taking her back to that creepy house. She was going to be just fine. She held onto that thought as her aching body protested heartily.

Checking the main area over carefully, Johnny make sure that there was no traces of them having been there. He had buried her soiled bandages earlier while she slept and carefully covered up the missing supplies in the storage area. Anyone checking a glance wouldn't see anything amiss. Dropping the combination lock into place, Johnny hurried back to the car and checked on Lulu before starting the engine.

"Where are we going?" Lulu asked, struggling a little to retain what little body heat she had. The blood loss was finally catching up to her and taking a real toll. She couldn't seem to keep warm at all and the move from the barn to the car didn't really help any.

Reaching over, Johnny turned the heat on high, flooding the car with warmth, and pointed the vents toward Lulu. "Somewhere a little less conspicuous."

"We were in a barn in the middle of nowhere," she pointed out, grateful for the heat as she held her frozen fingers out to defrost.

"Belonging to my family," he said grimly. "I don't want them finding us there." When she didn't ask, he glanced at her. She was merely staring at him silently from her cocoon. He took a breath and decided she needed to know what kind of danger she was in. "Zacchara."

"What?"

"My name," he explained quietly, "it's Zacchara." He braced himself.

She continued to stare at him. "I thought it was Johnny."

He laughed suddenly, a soft chuckling that lifted the darkness from his eyes. "It _is_ Johnny… John Zacchara."

Feeling suddenly very stupid, "Ohh… Zacchara is your _family_ name."

He tensed at the world "family" but eased himself back when he realized she meant nothing by it. "Yeah."

"Mine's Spencer."

"I figured that already," he smiled at her, sparkles back in his eyes.

"Why the sudden formal intro Johnny?"

"I just thought you should know." She didn't know; didn't really understand the significance of what he was telling her. And Johnny didn't have the heart to disillusion her. He couldn't explain why he didn't want to see the wariness and fear that came with recognition of his father's name. And while it was useful at times, he didn't want to see it in _her_ eyes. And if he could put it off a little longer, delay the inevitable to simply enjoy her easy company… well, he wasn't above manipulating truths.

"So where are we going?"

"Just away… somewhere other than where we were."

Simply unable to contain herself because she's got to know, "Johnny, are you related to whoever had me kidnapped? Was that why you were in that house?"

So much for not knowing. She was a smart girl, he should have expected that she'd know something or other. He wasn't going to lie to her, not outright. Johnny did know why he didn't want to lie to her but he didn't; it didn't seem right. "Yes."

Lulu nodded her head slowly in acceptance. "You took a huge risk for me."

Johnny shrugged, tensely waiting for her to demand that he stop the car and let her out.

Leaning over, Lulu braced her hand on his arm and brushed her lips across his cheek. It was just feather light and was something Johnny hasn't experienced in a long time: a uncomplicated touch of affection. It felt… it felt nice. He turned to her in stunned disbelief. She smiled in return. "Thank you." When he didn't turn away, she pointed ahead. "You might want to watch the road."

He did it because his head still haven't wrapped itself around what just happened and he honestly didn't really know how to react.

"So… any idea where we should be running off to?"

It was easier to concentrate on something other than his emotions. Reaching over, he pulled a New York state map shoved between the seat and the emergency break. "We have two options. One, we can head into New York city and hole up somewhere with lots of people. But New York is expensive and I don't have a lot of cash. If I use a credit card or try to withdrawal anything, they're going to know where we are and there will be people at our door within an hour." He gave her a look that told a bigger picture.

She made a face. "That's not an option that I want to go with."

Nodding in agreement, "Two, we can head into a smaller city where the costs won't be as high and we could probably hole up for a few weeks, no problems."

"I like this one better."

Smiling, he looked over at her. "I thought as much. There's a sea port city fifty miles north of here. Lots of commerce with enough happening to keep our appearance easy to explain. We can find a cheap motel and hide for a little while, at least until we figure out the next move. How does that sound?"

Years of listening to her mother talk about her adventures on the run had Lulu nodding in agreement and suddenly feeling very connected to her past. She could see why her parents would thrive in such environments: thinking on your toes, running from everyone, looking over one's shoulders and watching their budget and such. "Sounds like a plan. I'm in."

Johnny looked over at her with a smile that was quite beautiful to behold. For the first time since he picked her up, he looked almost… happy. And Lulu had a strange feeling that her life was about to change.

-&-&-&-

The large plastic cup was placed before Spinelli accompanied by a smile. It was a sweet smile, a sincere smile and a smile that was meant to be answered. So, like any boy not well pass the teenage years, Damien Spinelli smiled back.

"Hello Wise and Loyal Friend," Spinelli greeted as he closed his laptop with a click, "thank you for the refreshment to quench one's thirst."

"You're very welcome," Georgie answered with a smile with genuine affection. She liked the odd computer tech. He was one of the few individuals that were happy simply being themselves and not conforming to the standards of society. "Actually, I have an ulterior motive in bribing you with a cheap soda drink. I really need a favor."

Intrigued, Spinelli made a welcoming nod, "Ask away. The Jackal shall endeavor to provide the Loyal Little Sister with whatever assistance he can provide. Though the Jackal must warn his trusted friend that he is on a mission of dire importance at the moment and may not be available to help in the near future."

"That's all right," Georgie said in a hurry, glad that Spinelli wasn't outright denying the idea of helping her. "It's not an emergency but it is something that's kind of important to me."

"Then the Jackal will be most honored to help."

Georgie smiled, wondering why Lulu didn't seem to be the least bit interested in someone as sweet and wonderful as Spinelli. "I need you to find out what Cooper Barrett has been doing since he got out of the army and how he came to Port Charles."

Orange soda was spat across the table and Georgie had to jump out of the way to avoid being splattered. Spinelli looked horrified by what he had done but more so by the request. "Wh… why would Loyal Little Sister inquire as to the Clean-Cut Cadet's actions since his time under the rule of the military establishments?"

Consider it a moment, Georgie decided to chance in the confidence of the Jackal. "Promise you won't say anything yet?"

"The Jackal can be trusted with the most infamous actions of the fears Mr. Corinthos and Stone-Cold. Wise and Loyal Friend can depend on the Jackal's discretion."

Though she didn't understand all of what Spinelli had said, Georgie didn't question it that hard. "Maxie was upset the other night and she said something about Cooper that had me a little… worried," a mild word for what she's been wrestling with. She was the commissioner's daughter, she knew better than to keep a secret this big. Mac needed to know about Coop and his connections to the Metro Court Hostage situation; a case that continues to shadow the department like the bad stench of corruption. But without proof… Georgie wasn't willing to bet against Maxie's already fragile heart on a drunken rant. She needed more than just proof. "Can you do it?"

Spinelli stared at Georgie's earnest eyes and felt his world crashing around him. It wasn't a matter of _if_ he could do it… he was confident enough of his own skills to know that he can. But to do so would betray his master's confidence and possibly risk sweet Georgie Jones' life. "Has the Loyal Little Sister doubts of the Clean-Cut Cadet?" he almost choked on his own ironic nickname for Cooper Barrett.

"Questions," she corrected making a face. "I have questions."

Wondering how Stone-Cold did it, Spinelli swallowed with some difficulty. "Perhaps it is wiser to allow sleeping dogs lie?"

Georgie stared, confused for a moment. "Are you telling me that you don't want to help me?"

"Not in the least," Spinelli assured her in a hurry, almost knocking his soda over. "The Jackal is always at the Loyal Little Sister's disposal," he made a face quickly, "But one does have to caution his friend that sometimes it is best to allow things to stay as they are. Stirring the proverbial pot isn't always the wisest course of action in situations that deals with the many dubious events around these parts."

It didn't take a genius to read between the lines. "Spinelli," Georgie said in that non-nonsense voice she used only when her stubborn streak, inherited from her strong willed mother, rears its head and she felt compelled to do the right thing, "What exactly do you already know?"

Swallowing hard again, Damien Spinelli could already feel his day sliding down hills. And he hasn't even gotten a chance to call Stone-Cold about what he found while rifling around in the Zacchara's finances.

-&-&-&-

The apartment felt cold. A lonely place for a lonely and possibly scared man; though looking at him you can hardly tell. Stoic as ever, Jason brushed by the guards with a nod of greeting though he resented having the men there – a waste of resources in his opinion, they should be out looking for Carly and Lulu. But it was a precaution that Sonny had insisted upon since the shooting on the streets.

"Jason…" Keith called out. Keith has been posted in the building for years now. His sole purpose was to protect Jason, protect the people under his roof and to report anything suspicious in the building to Jason. But under all that, he was Sonny's man. The end all and be all of it was that Keith was business.

And Jason didn't want to deal with any more business today. "Not now," he waved it off and entered his penthouse with a sigh of relief. Shutting the door a little harder than he had intended, he gave himself a moment to breath and simply let go.

The liquor cabinet was stocked full of stuff, not because Jason drank much but because Sam did. In fact, the only reason Jason had his housekeeper June keep the thing stocked was because Sam always wanted a drink every night, something to claim her nerves. And living under his from, Jason couldn't blame her for it. He hadn't touched the liquor since Sam left but June kept up the routine without fail. And right now, he was grateful for it.

Pulling out the Irish whiskey and a crystal glass, he sat down on the couch with shaky legs. He was tired, more than just tired, he was exhausted. The baiting meeting with Alcazar had been pointless and the impotent fury he felt with not doing anything helpful to bring Carly home had ate away at his patience as he watched Sonny and Lorenzo taunt and snipe at one another, each one laying blame all the while hinting and evading the questions and answers being bantered about. Jason found the exchange tedious except where Alcazar had informed them that Morales would no longer be a problem for them – or anyone else for that matter – but that the man may have brought in another player into the game. _That_ piece of information had been unsettling. While the Zacchara's name hadn't been specifically said, it had been hinted at enough that Jason got the picture.

About to tip the bottle over the glass, he changed his mind and tipped it into his mouth instead. The liquid fire burned its way from palette to stomach before oozing down all the way to his extremities spreading an artificial warmth to his cold insides. But the alcohol couldn't touch the ice around his chest where fear, anger and guilt warred with one another. He tipped the bottle back again.

Once upon a time when he felt like this, and though he was reluctant to do so, he could pick up the phone and call Carly; she would be at his door before he hung up the phone. She was his sanctuary, his port in a storm; there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him and he for her – anything at all. There was a time when she would run to him when she was hurt, when she was angry, when she needed someone to protect her; _he_ was her port in the harbor: her safe place from the storms of life. But now… now she was running _from_ him. And he'd never felt so alone.

The silent penthouse mocked him.

He tipped the bottle back again, watching the amber content disappear in great gulps of anger… anger at himself for failing and at the world for the circumstances that led up to it. He wanted to turn back to clock, turn it back ten years to when it was just him, Carly and Michael, locked in their apartment and enjoying play time. Thing were chaotic then but he had been happy; Carly had been happy. Back then, he had… he had everything he wanted in life under one roof. There hadn't been any ex-husbands, ex-girlfriends, lies, secrets, betrayals, loss lives and dead dreams… dead babies.

But that was then: when Carly trusted him – when Carly loved him.

And this is now: Carly is gone, his baby is gone and there is nothing left. The silence pressed in on him again. He tipped the bottle back again.

"You didn't use to drink."

For a moment, Jason thought he had too much – the bottle was mostly gone now – and his mind was playing tricks on him. And then he turned around and watched as his favorite blonde walked slowly down the stairs, her arms wrapped around a big teddy bear, the one _she_ had bought for his child. For a moment, his mind did tricked him and he was seeing Carly from ten years ago, walking down a set of stairs with a similar toy for the child she had been carrying, the child she desperately wanted to share with him. She had run to him then: angry, scared and needing someone to protect her. But she wasn't wearing the same sad look now, it was a different kind of sadness, one that he had caused.

He tried to stand and couldn't quite make it.

"Guess I don't have to ask how you're doing," she came around the couch and gave his shoulder a gentle push before sitting down next to him, placing the teddy bear in her lap as she glazed at him with assessing blue eyes. When he just continued to stare at her dumbly, she sighed and leaned her elbow on the toy. "I guess Florida checked in."

"You're here," he whispered, touching a blonde lock with his blunt fingers, not quite believing.

She brushed his hand away and sighed again, not quite sure what she was doing now. This always came from her reacting first and not thinking it through. "I… I thought you might need a friend. Sonny isn't exactly a heart-to-heart kind of guy. And I don't trust Spinelli not to make it worse with his babbling and…" the rest of her train of thoughts was derailed when Jason leaned in unexpectedly and hugged her. To say Carly was startled was rather putting it mildly. Jason wasn't a _hugging_ kind of guy; in fact, Jason wasn't a _touching_ kind of guy. For him to initiate a hug… things were worse off then Carly had suspected.

"You're here," he repeated close to her ear, "You came back," his grip tightening on her shoulders as he tried to breath in the scent of her perfume, absorb the feel of her soft body against his, to make himself believe that Carly hadn't run _from_ him – she had done what she always does, she had turn _to_ him; she still trusted him, still loved him. "How did you get here?"

"Plane, train, then a taxi from hell," she laughed and tried to pull back, but Jason won't let her. His grip turned almost painful. At another time and place, she might have laughed it off and hugged him back just because it was nice and this was Jason; but Carly wasn't that person anymore… she wasn't Jason's Carly anymore. She pushed hard enough on his shoulder to make a point and he let go enough to see her face. The pain in his eyes… it broke her heart. It didn't matter right now who she is, who he is or what was or wasn't between them; Jason was hurting and it hurt her to see it. "I'm sorry about the baby."

"I don't want to talk about the baby," he said out of sheer habit of not talking about _anything_ with _anyone_. And he realized almost immediately that it was the wrong thing to say.

"Okay then," Carly pulled away, physically and emotionally distancing herself as quickly and with as much dignity as she could. _"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why the hell did you come here?"_ Of course he didn't want to talk about the baby, he never wants to talk about the baby with her.

"Carly, wait…" but she had already moved out of his reach. He had shaky legs and the world wobbled a little from the amount of alcohol racing through his empty system.

She looked around the room for a moment, "I… um… I talked to my mom already. The boys are doing well, haven't given the guards the slip yet, and she said that I should stay at the brownstone while I'm in town, it's easier to fortify than my place and…" then remembered that she had taken her jacket and purse upstairs, where she had been quietly examining the new nursery that will never be used. "… and I think my idea of just disappearing on my own is much better and less conspicuous than…"

"You're not leaving," Jason said in that 'don't argue with me' voice that he seldom if ever uses; it doesn't work on Carly and most people are scare enough of Jason as it was. "Carly…"

"I'll just be a few blocks away. I'm just going to get my stuff," heading for the stairs now, "And if you think your guys are good enough to keep me from leaving town, good luck with that little fantasy. I'll see you when …"

"Don't leave," he grabbed her by the arm, his desperate fingers digging in deep as he pulled her back to him. Moving too fast would be a bad idea. His arms closed around her and he buried his face into her hair. Everything in him hurt and he wasn't sure what he would do if Carly walked away. She was Carly; she was _always_ here. She was the one thing he could always count on to be there… and he ruined it. He turned his trust to another and betrayed the one person in the world that would die for him.

Carly stood there stiffly, her heart and her heart battling for control as she told herself not to do this anymore. _"Ten years. Ten years you've been doing this. When are you going to learn?"_ But her head had never ruled her actions and her heart bled for Jason's pains. _"He stood by you for ten years Carly. Saved you when you were drowning, protected you when you were hurt, lent his shoulders and his life for you to lean on. How do you give that up?"_ Closing her arms around him, she gently rubbed the tense muscles across his back. "It's okay, everything will be fine."

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the grief, maybe it was the loneliness… or_ maybe_ he was just sick of fighting with himself and constantly losing. But on impulse, Jason turned his head and kissed her. It wasn't a demanding kiss, the kind that was passionate and wanting; it was one of those kisses that was meant to say more than a person could really verbalize with mere words. It was a kiss of emotions, of heart, of somthing that needed to be conveyed on a higher level than man's inventions.

Telling herself that this would go nowhere, that she was going to get her heart broken again, that this was a pattern of hers that she should learn to break, Carly screamed at herself to draw back. But telling herself logic has never worked well for her and Carly found herself drifting into the kiss, allowing her body to guide her as Jason eased her back down and learned the body that he had once known… a long time ago, in another life time, when they were still two very different people.

There was a tiny part of Jason that was telling him that this was wrong, that Carly didn't actually want this but that part of him wasn't hurting enough to _need_ his best friend, his soul mate, his other half. He had caught a brief glimpse of what his life was like without Carly and he didn't like it. He can live without a lot of things but without her the world was a cold and barren place made even more so by the extinguishing of that tiny breath of life he had pinned so much of his future on. And now… now there was just Carly and that was enough.

"Jason," she whispered against his lips as she felt the cushion beneath her back.

"Shh…" he pressed himself down against her, taking the warmth she provided into himself to dispel the chill around his soul. His lips brushed against the tender skin behind her ear, a sensitive spot that he remembered teasing long ago. Something in him let go. "I need you."

It was such a simple thing to say but it sent a shiver of fear and excitement through her. A hundred reasons rushed through her mind as to why this was wrong, that this was not what she needed to complicate her life even more. But she couldn't stop herself from lean in, from offering him comfort in his pain and grief. She understood all those emotions and what they can do to people. She may regret all this in the morning but tonight… tonight, Jason was hers again. And he wanted her the way he had once did. It may be nothing tomorrow but for tonight, that was enough.

_To be continued…._


	18. Collision Course

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walk Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Jason wakes up alone, Lucky stands by Liz, Lulu says goodbye and Johnny calls for help.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help.

**Author's Note**: This story has _officially_ confused me. And really, to confuse the writer is just a bad thing. I'll confess now: when I started this story I had this weird idea of actually pairing Lulu with Jason. (Hey, if Sonny and Emily can get together than well... yes, I cringed like everyone else.) But then the show went and introduced the very (to quote Maxie Jones) smoking hot Johnny Zacchara and paired him with the feisty Lulu Spencer in a way just worked too perfectly for me to ignore. And so I thought hey, we'll work with that and put Carly back with Lorenzo. But there was all kinds of chemistry with Carly and Jason (now that they've found a _good_ Carly) and I couldn't really ignore that. Now I'm all confused and don't know where I want this to go. The title doesn't even match now. (sigh) Have I officially turned anyone off yet?

Okay, I'm going to keep writing until I know what I'm doing.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 18 – Collision Course

* * *

"Here. Careful, it's very hot," Johnny tossed the paper bag the table and gently set the coffee between Lulu's outstretched hands. He fished sugar packs and little tumbles of cream from his pockets and placed them on the table. "I didn't know what you like so…" he shrugged and made an apologetic face.

Lulu smiled and touched his arm, "Don't do that," and pulled him over and patted the seat next to her. "You've been nothing but fantastic to me and I've…" she rolled her eyes and gestured around the slightly chaotic room. "I can't even keep the room clean."

"You haven't been at the top of your game," he said kindly eyeing her middle. She had insisted on changing her own bandage last night and struggled for a good ten minutes before admitting defeat and allowing him to help. Johnny had blushed through the whole ministration – since she insisted on stripping to the waist – while Lulu teased him in good humor. He didn't understand why he was so embarrassed around her, it's not as if he was some naïve innocent. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," patting her wound gently with a smile, "much better."

"When the diner across the street opens for lunch, let's get some red meat into you. Protein and iron is needed to replenish your blood supply."

"Sounds good to me," she smiled and picked up a tasty donut. "Um… sugar!"

Johnny laughed, a soft rustic sound that made him so beautiful.

Lulu simply stopped and stared at him, enchanted by the difference it made.

"What?" unnerved by the wonder on her face.

She smiled and shook her head, unable to explain to him what she saw. Her first impression of him as a fallen angel hadn't been that far off. There was something both beautifully good and darkly dangerous about him. She noticed the paper in his hands and nudged her chin at it. "Anything interesting?"

"Economy is down, our president is a freak and the middle east is still on fire," Johnny replied easily as he set the paper on the table and picked up his coffee. "You want to read?"

"I don't usually keep up with the current…" the rest of the thought was lost as she stared at the title page, her big blue eyes wide with disbelief. "Oh my god…"

"What?" glancing at it and seeing nothing spectacular about the front page news. "What's wrong?"

"No freaking way! _Port Charles Chronicles_?" she stared at him, stunned. "We're in Port Charles?"

He was confused. "Yeah, what of is? You heard of this place?"

Throwing her head back, Lulu laughed. She howled with it and almost hurt herself falling off the bed. Johnny hurried over and helped her lay back down, concern for her state of being. She looked almost manic now. "What's so funny?"

"Oh…" Lulu shook her head, her chuckles still giving her pains, and she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself down. "Of course this would happen. The ironies of life never ceases to amaze me."

Johnny eyed her funny. "You want to let me in on the joke?"

"Home," she said, holding her side and shaking her head. "You brought me _home_."

-&-&-&-

The baby was crying. No… the baby was screaming; screaming in pain and fear. Liz hurried down the corridor of the hospital, ignoring the stinging of the icy floors on her bare feet, intent on finding her baby. Her baby needed her.

The empty halls offered her no directions as she followed the sound of her howling child, so intent on her goal was she that she ran into machines and supplies and other miscellaneous things left in her way. But no matter how fast she ran, how hard she look, she couldn't locate the source of her baby's cries. And then… a gunshot rang out and the baby stopped crying.

Elizabeth stopped in her tracks, her horror so great that she couldn't even scream. Around the corner, Lucky staggered into view, shaking his head as he cradled a bloody mess in his weak arms. A bloom of red splashed cross his neck and chest. She rushed to him, taking his weight as he finally collapsed on the ground, only the taking note of his dress… his tuxedo… the same one he wore when he took his vows with her. His tormented eyes stared at her as he handed her the dead baby in his arms. A trickle of blood dribbled out the corners of his mouth as he asked her, "Do you see what you've done?" Then his eyes, those beautiful velvet eyes that once held light every time he saw her went dull and dead.

She felt as if someone had ripped her heart out as she stared at her dead husband and her dead baby. _**"NO!!"**_

"Liz. LIZ!" Lucky's arms went around on instinct. A decade ago, he put took her into his arms to protect her, to ward off the world that would do the innocent girl that she was harm. A decade later, he still put his arms around her as the world around her closed in on the woman that she's become. The same nightmare that had roused her from sleep had jolted him awake when the scream erupted so suddenly that he nearly went for his service weapon.

"Oh god, oh god," she buried herself into his embrace, pressing her face into the collar of his worn flannel. "Lucky," her fingers dug into solid muscles as she assured herself of his actual presence, hearing the strong heartbeat under her ear. He was here, he was alive. He was holding her. "Lucky…"

"Shh… Shh…" He tightened his arms until they ached but she made no protest as she tried to crawl into him, seeking something he wasn't sure he could give her. "It's going to be okay… it's going to be okay," he repeated as he allowed himself to feel all the things that he's been desperately trying to bury the day he walked away from her, seeking to protect what was left of his already fragile heart. It wasn't going to be okay and he knew it. Liz's loss was going to reverberate through her life and it wasn't even the first time. He wonder how much more of this was she going to be able to take before she came apart completely.

"Hold me Lucky," she begged as she climbed into him further, wrapping arms, legs around him and burying her face against his shoulder. "Please don't leave me," she wept painfully as she tried to block the image of death from her mind. "God, don't leave me…"

He shifted, bring her down slowly to the bed, trying not to tangle the mass of wires and tubes monitoring her condition and still give her the comfort she was seeking. "Shh… it's all right. I'm right here; I'm not going anywhere."

Closing her eyes, Liz tugged and pulled on him, shifting herself beneath his body, forcing him to lie partially on top of her, finding safety and comfort in the familiar weight of him; physically shielding herself from the world that kept taking and taking from her. "Our baby... Oh god Lucky, our baby…" and she continued on, crying until there was nothing left in her.

Much later, when Lucky was assured that she had finally drifted to oblivion, he gently let her go and eased himself carefully away. Sitting back down in the uncomfortable chair by her bed, Lucky's head pounded with emotions he wasn't sure if he wanted to examine. But one thing kept rearing its head and taking center stage in his mind, _"Our baby… she called him __our__ baby." _

-&-&-&-

The sea breeze hit his face and the sound of children's laughter rang like bells across the silence. He turned and watched as the blonde goddess appeared from beneath the foamy waves of the sea. She had blue eyes that sparked with amusement and a smile that caressed his soul. And she held in her hand the tiny fingers of a cherub with a tuff of red hair and a sprinkle of freckles dashed across his face. The baby angel laughed.

The twinkling sound was still ringing in his ears when Jason awoke, head pounding and feeling like sandpaper had been dragged cross his tongue a thousand times. Everything… hurt; including his brain, his heart and his… the memories of last night, tangled sweaty limbs and soft blonde hair dragged across a shockingly beautiful face, caught up to his slow reacting mind and he reached out across the bed only to find cool sheets.

Sitting up at a rate that was probably not so good for his hangover, Jason made a quick search of the room with his eyes. He was in bed… naked… and _definitely_ alone.

"Carly?" he called out, hoping without any real hope that she was going to answer from the bathroom, the closet or even the room next door… Brenda's ridiculously pink room. (One of these days, he will get around to repainting that room.)

There was no scent of coffee, so she wasn't in the kitchen getting her caffeine fix. He didn't hear the showers so she wasn't in the bathroom down the hall. "Carly?" he pulled on pants, took a glanced the mirror and winced slightly, then made a quick search of the upstairs before he rushed downstairs. Nothing… not even a dirty dish, a misplaced pillow on the couch or even lint on the coffee table to indicate she had ever been there at all. If Jason didn't have the multitudes of half-moon marks on his back and across his ribs, he'd have sworn he dreamt the whole thing.

Only he hadn't. Carly had been there… she had come back to him… where she belonged.

And now she's gone.

Again.

Jason pulled back hard on the sudden panicky need to find her. Carly was a big girl and more importantly, she was a resourceful girl. If she can make her escape from Florida and get all the way to Port Charles without tripping anything, she can certainly be… who the hell was he kidding? This was Carly! And _he_ needed her.

He pulled the front door open and searched out Kevin Dikko, first watch on his door. "Where's Carly?"

Kevin blinked. "I'm sorry, Mr. Morgan, but what?"

"Carly," Jason repeated as if speaking to an extremely slow child, "Where did Carly go?"

There was glint in Jason's eyes that didn't bode well for Kevin. Swallowing and fighting the instinctual need to take a step back, "Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Corinthos hasn't been around at all." Everyone knew about the fiasco in Florida. Heads were going to roll as soon as things calm down first.

"She was _here_… last night. Where is she?" He watched Kevin's eyes; the eyes usually tell you when someone is lying through their teeth.

Shaking his head, "I… I didn't see her when I came on duty sir."

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything there but a hint of fear to tell Jason whether or not Carly had managed, yet again, to charm her way through his people. Jason glanced around the corridors, his heart thumping hard in his chest. He was about to call out a search when his ringing cell phone elicited a growl of aggravation. There weren't that many people that knew the number… and any call from it was important. Maybe it was Carly…. "Hello?"

"Jason, it's Emily."

The panic in his sister's voice cut through Jason's disappointment. Emily doesn't rattle easily these days. "What is it Emily? Are you all right?"

"It's about Lulu," Emily said in a hurried whisper. "She's on the phone with Nikolas _right now_. Can you have it traced?"

"I'll get someone on it," Jason replied quickly.

"Jason, you have to find her," Emily emphasized quietly. "Lucky and Nikolas need her right now."

"I'll find her, Emily."

"Thank you," she said and hung up with a click.

Taking a breath to calm his frustrations, Jason dialed out.

"Greetings, Stone Cold."

"Get on your computer and trace the incoming call to Nikolas Cassadine at Wyndenmere right now."

"Um…"

"Right now, Spinelli." He barked then softened it with a quick, "It's Lulu," knowing that would get him the results he wanted. "I need a location."

The scrambling sounds was heard through the receiver followed by a yap of pain, but Spinelli didn't complain about that. "The Jackal is on the case and will not fail his master or the radiant Blonde One."

"Call me back when you have something," he ordered and hung up, taking a moment to run his hands through his disheveled hair. He was torn between marching out and beginning the most urgent search of Carly and fulfilling his obligations _to_ Carly by finding her most beloved cousin… in one piece. He seemed forever destined to be caught between _his_ needs and everything else in his life. And right now… he sighed and headed upstairs. Right now he needs to find Lulu; Carly needs that kind of peace and she'd never forgive him if anything happened to Lulu. But once Lulu and Carly are both safe and under lock and key, he will… he will deal with everything else.

"Damn it, Carly!" he muttered as he yanked out clothes (ironically he only cursed in private and always in relation to the one woman in his life that can break through his inner peace). "Where the hell are you?"

-&-&-&-

"Oh jeeze," Lulu muttered and got up in a hurry only to groan and press her hand to her side. She's really got to stop doing that.

"What is it?" Johnny asked from where he'd been resting a minute before. He had literally driven all night the day before and had sat watching Lulu sleep before that. He was physically exhausted and had trying to catch a little nap.

"Obituaries," she said quietly as she handed him the newspaper she had been bored enough to read. She searched his jacket and found the cell phone. "This is still untraceable, right?" though she wasn't sure if it was untraceable by Spinelli standards.

"Yeah, of course," waving away that questioning look for permission. Johnny glanced at the paper, going through the usual lines and looked for something, anything that might relate to Lulu. "What am I looking for?"

"Third one down," she answered and dialed out. Lucky's cell phone rang and rang before it dropped her into voicemail. Unable to say anything adequate, she hung up and dialed again. It rang twice between it was picked up by a properly efficient voice. "Mr. Cassadine please," she answered the greeting. When inquired as to who was calling, Lulu made an irritated noise with her throat and answered with a cryptic, "L4." She was asked to hold.

Johnny frowned, concerned for a moment at the look of fear and panic in her eyes, before turning his eyes onto the page before him. Third one down on the left hand side of the page was a small and short notice of the death of a newborn, not even named yet. The parents were listed as Jason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber Spencer… _Spencer_. He looked up as Lulu began to pace the room. _"Sister maybe? Cousin?"_

She gave a heaving sigh and hurriedly said, "It's Lulu."

"Lulu," Nikolas closed his eyes in general relief and nodded his head at an expectedly anxious Emily who pulled her cell phone out to dial her brother. "Thank goodness. Where are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," Lulu assured her brother and looked a questioning Johnny. "I'm just… I'm trying to stay out of everyone's way right now."

"Where are you?"

"Safe," she replied with a wince.

"Lulu, you need to come home. Something has…"

"I know about Elizabeth and the baby," Lulu interrupted with heart wrenching pain for her former sister-in-law. No matter how angry Lulu is at Elizabeth for hurting Lucky, she couldn't ignore the fact that Elizabeth had been really good to her in the past, always trying to play the peacemaker in the family. "How is she?"

"Not doing great," Nikolas answered watching Emily from across the way. "Lucky is with her."

"He is?" not terribly surprised by this reveal. "And Jason? Is he with Liz too?"

"No, that's the other reason you have to come home: Carly is missing." Nikolas knew, understood and even partially appreciated the relationship between his sister and Carly. And while he and the former Mrs. Corinthos may not always see eye to eye, he understood that Carly loved Lulu like she was her own daughter.

For a moment, Lulu couldn't comprehend what he had said. It didn't make any sense to her. "What do you mean Carly is missing?"

"Carly is missing," Nikolas repeated understanding that Lulu was probably feeling a little overwhelmed right now. "Jason took her out of town then came back when he heard that Liz had gone into premature labor. Then he and Lucky both got calls that you and Carly both vanished around the same time. They think a syndicate from New York, the Zaccharas, are behind it." There was no response for a moment. "Lulu? Are you all right?"

"The Zaccharas?" Lulu faced Johnny as she repeated the name slowly and he looked away. "Are you sure?"

"They can't be sure of anything right now. All they know is that you guys disappeared and no one knew how; a Zacchara car was spotted in the area and that was that. Are you all right? How did you…"

"I'm okay," Lulu said reassuringly as she crossed the room and placed her hand on Johnny's arm, her comforting smile gentle with understanding reached him when he could finally meet her eyes. "A friend made sure I was safe."

Nikolas asked again. "How did you…"

Not sure how much to say, "Something happened at the safe house and… and I ended up somewhere bad."

Holding himself perfectly still, Nikolas looked at a frantically talking Emily for a moment. He had a very bad feeling about all this. "Did someone do something to you?"

"No, no, I'm okay," she repeated again. "I met… I met a friend and he got me to safety. But yeah, someone grabbed me and I escaped. I'm just lying low right now," she squeezed Johnny's hand. "Tell me about Carly."

"There's nothing to tell. Sonny sent people down to Florida to find her but so far nothing."

"What do you mean '_some_ _people_?'" Confused as hell. "Jason didn't go himself?" she felt a momentary fusion of anger on Carly's behalf. Jason was her best friend and Carly had never once abandoned Jason when he needed her… or even when he didn't need her.

"I don't know what happened," Nikolas answered honestly. He and Emily had been just as perplexed by this as Lulu apparently is. "But I do know that something bad is going on here and I need you to come home where I know you are safe."

Lulu rolled her eyes, "Because there is a written rule somewhere that says that being shot at twice in town is the limit, right? I've somehow fulfilled my quota of bullets aimed at me for the year."

Johnny moved a tiny inch closer for no apparent reason.

Nikolas sighed. "Look, I know that you're scared and I know that you haven't exactly been protected the way you should have been. I should have taken care of it myself. But I assure you that I will have Wyndmere secured and you will be perfectly safe here."

"Nik," Lulu sighed softly, knowing that her brother was only trying to protect her. "Listen, I… I need to stay away and…"

"Lucky needs you right now," Nikolas knew that playing the brother card wasn't fair but he didn't care about fair when it came to Lulu's safety. "He's trying to get Liz through this but he's scared as hell for you."

"I'm okay," she assured him again and took a breath. Lulu understood, of course, that being told something doesn't mean squat unless you're seeing it with your own eyes; never take word over sight and question that too if you have to: rule numbero uno for those on the run. Surprisingly enough, her mother had taught her that. "I'll get in touch as soon as I can, okay?"

"Lulu…" Nik said warningly. He could command an entire fleet of people and buy most small countries with just a phone call but he can't ever seem to bring his sister to heel. "Lesley Lu Spencer…"

"Oh I'm sorry," crunching newspaper into the mouthpiece of the phone, "you're breaking up." She grabbed the bed sheet and placed it over the phone before destroying more paper, "I'll… soon…see… when… love you," then hung up the phone.

"That was mean," Johnny pointed out with a grin.

"That was necessary," she corrected with regret and took comfort in Johnny's understanding nod. She dialed out again. The number was disconnected and she cursed gently with agitation. "Come on, come on," she dialed another number and waited for the phone, "It's Lulu. I just heard. I hope to god you're okay. I'll be at your house… _your_ house in a couple of hours." She glanced at her watch. "Call me there at three sharp… three o'clock, okay? Or better yet, meet me there. Be safe."

"You can keep the phone," Johnny replied softly as he watch her face cloud over with dread. "I can give you the number and…"

"No," she said quietly, as she punched in her phone number into his phone and hit save. "I don't want you mixed up in this any more than you are already. I watch the movies, I know that they'll do to you if your people find out that you've helped me escape."

"Nothing is going to happen to me," Johnny replied with surety. He found it ironic that _she_ was worried about _him_. "You, on the other hand…" he shook his head and sat down next to her on the bed. "I don't know what you did to get yourself on the wrong end of this… whatever this is but it can't possibly to fair."

"Life is not fair," Lulu replied without any bitterness or resentment. "Good people suffer all the time… and trust me, if you know anything about us Spencers, you'd know that we are _not_ good people."

"I find that hard to believe," he stated with a sigh. He could already feel their time together coming to an end. "What do you want to do next?"

"I need to go home," she replied looking at him, regret tinting her tone. "It was a bad idea to run and it was a worse idea to run into the people that was looking for me," she sighed and wondered how the hell her life got so complicated so suddenly. "My family needs me."

Johnny nodded sadly. "It was a nice adventure while it lasted." He got up to tidy the place up a little. "Who's the woman?"

"Which one?" unknowingly giving away more information.

"The one in the Obituaries. Who lost the baby?"

"My brother's ex-wife," she replied softly. "She and my brother both had affairs and she ended up pregnant by another man…"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly for the obvious pain he saw in Lulu's eyes at talking about this. The breakdown of her brother's marriage had done something to Lulu. "You don't have to explain. I was just wondering, that's all."

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with gentle amusement. "You can ask." She shook her head and sighed with some exasperation. "A lot of things happen last fall and _every_one made mistakes… some a little more permanent than others but everyone took a share of the blame and everyone paid a price for it. Liz lost Lucky, my brother, and she lost her marriage. Lucky lost his faith and his wife… it was hard. But for better or for worse, they had been together for so long and have been through so much… Lucky must be hurting for Liz and… and I've got to be there for him."

He understood that. A sad little dimple showed up bravely on his face. "What can I do to help?"

"You've done too much already," she smiled and wished that things were different. "I don't want you in harm's way."

"I can take care of myself," he assured her.

"But I'd feel really bad if anything happened to you because of me." And she would too. Johnny had been ridiculously decent to her despite knowing that she was wanted by his family; the kind of hell he was going to catch if and when this gets back to his father… she hoped to god that her mother was right and that parents accept their children no matter what. Leaning over, Lulu brushed her lips gently across his. "Thank you for watching out of me."

Holding himself perfectly still, Johnny held onto the moment for as long as he could. Lulu was the first person in a long time that didn't want anything from him and was just… she was such a wonderful ray of sunshine in his usually drab and dark life. But every interlude must come to an end and this was it. Johnny understood that he wasn't going to be able to stay away from the mansion for much longer without all hell breaking loose again. And he most definitely didn't want Lulu caught in the crossfire of _that_ looming disaster. "Who's Carly?"

"My cousin," she took a breath and let it out slowly, trying not to panic over that little piece of problem. "Someone took… she was in trouble too and now she's missing." Neither of them said it but the possibility that Johnny's family has Carly flashed through both their minds.

Nodding his head, Johnny packed everything up. "How are you going to get out of here?"

"I've got ways," she smiled and watched him move around restlessly. "Johnny…"

"If I see her," he said turning to face Lulu, "I'll see what I can do." The look in Lulu's eyes will get Johnny through many dark days and darker nights. And for one unbearably fantastical moment, he imagined having her around forever. But that moment passed, Johnny wouldn't inflict his life on his enemy much less a nice girl like Lulu. Clearing his throat, he looked around the sparse room, "Should I stay until your ride gets here?"

Lulu considered it a half second but thought better of it immediately. "I think it's probably better if…"The door exploded inward and Lulu screamed at the top of her lungs. She was also shoved behind the bed with Johnny between her and the door, the wall connecting the bathroom protecting her back.

"Don't move," Jason snapped out as he leveled his gun at the young man standing before him.

Spinelli rushed in unheeding of the dangers. "Where's the Blonde One?" his words a blur, slurred by his fear and anxiety.

The distraction gave Johnny enough time to pull his – until now – concealed weapon just as two more men rushed through the door to flank the first; the ease of which he handled it told Jason a great deal. "Drop it," Johnny replied calmly, coldly though his heart pounded dangerously in his chest. He didn't recognize the guys and Lulu was in danger now.

"Put it down," Jason ordered, never once taking his eyes off the kid.

"You first," Johnny countered.

"Wait, wait," Lulu called out frantically as she tried to get around Johnny but he was holding her back, keeping her shielded with his body, "Don't shoot!" elbowing Johnny hard to get him to let go and scrambling around him so that she was how shielding him. "Don't shoot," holding her hands out to Jason, Milo and Max. "Don't shoot," she repeated.

"Get out of the way," Johnny hissed, fear for her making it hard to say the words.

"Lulu," Jason warned.

"He saved my life," Lulu explained hurriedly, nudging Johnny when he tried to move around her again. "Don't shoot," she warned seriously.

There was a long and tense moment while Jason decide just how much of this was true and how much of it was the Spencer gene talking. Spencers were trouble magnets; and it would be so like a Spencer woman to attract the attention of guys with guns. When it became obvious that Lulu wasn't going to budge (must be the stubborn chin thing that Carly did as well) and the kid was attempting to protect Lulu (though she was making it kind of difficult), Jason lifted the barrel of his gun up with a sigh. "Lulu…"

"I'm okay," she said, pressing her hand against Johnny's arm to get him to lower his gun. "I'm okay," she repeated but took no steps away from Johnny. "Johnny protected me."

"Johnny," Jason repeated, eyeing the dark young man with suspicion. "Got a last name, Johnny?"

"No," Lulu said with a definite tone that didn't allow anyone another word. "He is not in this," her eyes said a lot more than she had intended. "Don't get him involved," she silently promised retribution for anyone that crossed her.

Jason was quiet, his annoyance and dissatisfaction seen only through the way his hands clutched his gun. "We need to get out of here. You're not safe in the open."

"I know," she replied quietly, reaching behind for Johnny's hand. She just wanted one last contact with him before she was whisked off somewhere again. "That's why I came home," she lied easily. "And I saw the paper about…" she didn't say it, saw the pain in Jason's eyes and _couldn't_ say it. "I'm sorry."

He nodded his head in acceptance, "Carly is…"

"Missing, I know," she nodded her head. "I left her a message on her machine. I'm going to her house right now. If she's around, she'll get contact with me there." He didn't know it but Jason's eyes lit up… and Lulu saw it. "Can you get me there?"

Nodding again, Jason motioned for her to come to him. "Let's go."

"Lulu…" Johnny didn't let got of her hand – didn't want to – and he didn't let go of the gun. "Are you sure?" eyeing the silent trio of gun totting mobsters. And he's seen enough of them to know that's exactly what they were. The confusion as to how Lulu could possibly know these guys – and she definitely did – didn't negate the fact that she was still a sweet girl and she was still in danger and he still really liked her.

"Yeah," she turned and smiled at him, her eyes sad at this parting. "Thanks for… for everything," she bit her lip and wondered how it was possible that she didn't want to leave him after knowing him for only a few short days. "Be careful and be safe, okay?" she whispered, leaning up to brush her lips against his cheek, whispering, "My number is on your phone," soft enough for only him to hear. "Good bye."

He watched her go, receiving the evil eye from two of the four guys and a cautiously speculative one from the one in charge, and felt something slip away. He sat in the silent room, waiting for something to happen for a while longer after he heard the roar of a car and the squealing of tires taking Lulu away. Then the phone rang.

"What?"

"John," Trevor's oily voice rang painfully through the phone. "John, you need to come home."

He didn't answer him at first, watching the sky through the window. It seemed to have grown darker suddenly, as if someone had sucked light from the sky… or maybe it was just him. "Why?"

"Your father needs you," Trevor said in that horribly mockingly sincere way of his, "Come on John, come home before something happens."

Same old song and dance, "Like?"

"John, we both know what your father is capable of. And with this new deal not working out the way he wants it to…"

"What deal?" keen on knowing what the hell was going on and maybe keep someone people from getting caught up in it.

"Now, John…"

"Trevor, stop treating me like an eight year old that doesn't understand that the world I live in isn't the same as everyone else. I'll be back at the house in a few hours and I want answers. Whatever my father is up to, you _are_ going to tell me," he gave Trevor no time to respond before he hung up the phone. Bad things were happening at the house and his father's grip on the organization was steadily declining as Trevor continue to take a more active role in calling the shots. Things were unbalancing around Johnny… not that it was ever safe to begin with, but the unsteadiness of the recent weeks have begun to permeate even his disinterest. And now…

He needed someone if he is going to get through this in one piece. He trusted Trevor about as much as he trust his father on a good day and he wouldn't trust his father with a baby rattle snake. Picking up his phone from where Lulu had left it, glancing briefly at the number she had left behind (which incidentally put an unconscious little smile on his face), he dialed out. It rang until the voice mail picked up, "It's Johnny. I need you."

_To be continued…_

Thoughts?


	19. Issues With Life

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walk Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Lucky makes a promise, Lulu gets curious, Lorenzo gets a confirmation and Georgie confronts Cooper.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help.

**Author's Note**: Who didn't see the death of Logan coming? Seriously, the guy has had absolutely nothing to do lately and they've pretty much dropped the whole Scott is his father idea. It's such a waste too… could have been an interesting storyline if they had ever done anything with it. Oh well… I'm going to keep going with my Alternative Universe… where everyone is living in hell. Good idea, no?

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 19 – Issues With Life

* * *

Cameron's chubby little legs covered more distances in the three point three seconds it took for the child to cross the hospital room and launch himself into Lucky's lap than most adults three times the child's size. Burying his face into his father's stomach, Cameron's little fists grabbed shirt and hauled himself into a hug without any assistant from his father. "Daddy!"

"Hey big man," Lucky murmured as he finally got over the sudden appearance of his father and his son… complete with matching outfits. Lucky almost choked. "What the heck did you do to my kid, Dad?"

"What?" Luke asked with a shrug as he grinned rather forcefully. "Just thought the kid could use some updates on his wardrobe," he ruffled his grandson's curls and glanced at the silent figure on the bed. "How is she?"

"How do you think?" Lucky rubbed his eyes with one hand and lifted Cameron higher in his lap with the other. "They gave her a sedative to help her sleep. She's been asking for her baby since she woke up; wouldn't stop screaming for him."

"That's understandable," Luke sighed and moved to the bed, looking down at the delicate little thing. "God, why does it always come down to this?"

Lucky didn't have to be genius to know where Luke's mind had gone. Against the stark white sheets with her caramel color hair, pumped full of drugs to keep her mind quiet in the dim hospital light, Liz looked frighteningly like Laura Spencer did in those last hours before she slipped away from reality. God knows he wasn't the only one that thought it. Lucky had to wonder if it really did all come down to this; that the Spencer men were going to lose the loves of their lives to some horrible thing that traps their women in a world of fantasies and nightmares. They had all been afraid for Lulu at one time or another though none of them would admit it out loud; precious golden haired, blue-eyed baby Lulu was the splitting image of the angelic Laura. But looking back on it, Lucky was amazed that he hadn't been just as afraid for Liz…. His precious Lizzy Webber. Laura Webber Spencer. Liz Webber Spencer. Married to Spencer men. Rape, drugs, the mob… it was like watching history repeat itself.

"How you holding up, Cowboy?" Luke asked quietly, watching his son's eyes close in torment and held his own son closer. Lucky couldn't quite swallow the tears that had been threatening his composure since Cameron called him 'daddy.'

"Daddy," Cameron may not understand what was going on but he reacted to his father's pain as any child would: he put his little arms around Lucky's neck and held onto him tighter and cried with his daddy.

"Let it out, kid," Luke advised quietly, bring his hand down on Lucky's head, gently ruffling his boy's soft hair – hair like his Laura's. "Let it all out now while you can. You've got to be strong for Elizabeth later so let it all out now."

Lucky tucked Cameron's head under his chin, unwilling to let his son see him fall apart like this. "I don't… I don't know if I can, Dad. I don't know if I can help her."

"You love her don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then you can," Luke understood it with a heavy heart.

"Love isn't always enough," Lucky couldn't help but point out even knowing he was tearing open a wound that will never _ever_ heal completely. There were odd moments in the last five years that Lucky wondered how his father got through those weeks just after… how he found the strength to go on without _her_.

"No, no it isn't," the softness in his usually gruff tones said a great deal of the pain Luke still carried around for his beloved angel. "But you've got to have faith, son of mine. And you've got to believe that it will makes a difference if nothing else. You love her and she needs you; nothing else in this would should matter right now. You hold onto that and you hold onto _this_," resting his hand on Cameron's little head, "you'll both get through this."

"What if I can't?"

"You can and you will," Luke assured him with a smile as Cameron reached up and took his hand. "You will because you don't really have any other choice. And you can because you're a Spencer and Spencers can do just about anything."

That arrogant logic is what made Luke Spencer, Luke Spencer. And Lucky couldn't really argue with that. "Dad…"

"I'm here and I always going to be here," Luke replied quietly as he headed for the door. "You and Cameron spend a little time with Liz, I'll be back to get him in a few," his hand on the vibrating phone in his pocket.

Lucky held his son and watched his father go then turned back to the bed; Liz slept on. Moving his chair closer, he allowed Cameron to reach out and hold his mother's free hand in silence, as if instinctively knowing that the quiet was a good thing and determined to help in the only why his childish wisdom knew how. Pressing a kiss to his boy's curls, Lucky reached out and rested his hands on both of theirs and said quietly, "We're going to get through this, Little Man: you, me and your mommy. She needs us, both of us, and we're going to be here no matter what, right? You and me, we're going to help your mom get through this. Just like me and your mommy are going to be here for _you_, no matter what. I love you, son. You are _my_ son," he kissed the boy again before squeezing the hands beneath his and looked at up Liz's face, "just like you will always be my wife."

-&-&-&-

Johnny could literally feel his heart speed up as the sight of the looming gates of the Zacchara compound came into view. After all these years, that dark and depressing place still had the power to scare him like the child that he once was trapped in a living hell. His car slowed to a crawl six hundred yards from the gates, as if reluctant to re-enter the place it had just escaped from. And after the bright sunshiny time he had on the road with Lulu, going back was even bleaker and more depressing than imaginable.

His phone rang two hundred yards from the gate. He eagerly picked it up hoping for a reprieve from the inevitable. It was a text message and it wasn't Lulu but still it offered him something. The message was simple: "En route. See you in three days."

A tiny glimmer of hope in a horizon. He will hold onto that and the possibility of a phone call from Lulu in the future. Nothing else in the world matter.

-&-&-&-

"I'm okay Dad," Lulu repeated for the umpteenth time, glancing at the silently stoic Jason with an embarrassed shrug. "I swear it. I'm totally fine. Don't even need to see a doctor."

"Lesley Lu Spencer, if you scare me like that one more time…"

"Like your disappearing acts aren't just as bad," Lulu argued back with a quick laugh then had to stop and press a hand to her side. Every time she pressed her hand to the wound there, the binding made from a tee shirt that her mysterious rescuer had offered up as bandage, she couldn't help but inwardly smile at the kindness shown to her by someone that had no reason to. "Dad, I'm really okay. I'm a Spencer, remember? I always land on my feet. Listen, Jason is about to rip his phone out of my hands," she offered Jason an apologetic smile for that lie, "I've got to go so he can do business or order a hit or something. Give Lucky my love and tell him that I'm going to see him soon even if I have to sneak away from the guards." Jason glared.

"Don't you even think about it, Princess," Luke warned in a growl, "You stay put and you do as you're are told."

"And when was the last time I did that?" rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Listen to you, Cupcake, my old heart can't keep doing the rumba ever time you decide you don't like being protected."

"Dad…"

"You promise me that you will stay safe and follow Jason's precautions or I'm throwing you in that creepy panic room of Rick Lansing's and swallowing the key."

"All right, all right," Lulu sighed and felt her father's love for her, "I promise to be good and listen to Jason."

"That's better."

"As long as I think it's in my best interest," she couldn't help but add. She almost told her father to ask Jason about her last bodyguard but changed her mind… she wanted some answers for herself first. "I love you daddy."

"Stay safe, Princess," Luke reminded her in all seriousness.

"Good bye Dad," Lulu said and hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. She groaned and leaned back in her seat. Her wound still hurt and she was so tired.

"Does the Fair Lulu require medical attention?" Spinelli asked, all anxious and fearful. "Perhaps some nutritious sustenance is needed? Shall detour to a eatery of your fairness' liking?"

"Thank you but I'm okay," Lulu replied with a smile and sighed. "And you might want to turn around before the car sickness hits you. You're looking a little green around the mouth."

Spinelli nodded his head and slowly sunk back into his seat in the front with a sigh of relief. Hurling in Stone-Cold's car would be tragic.

"Tell me about the people that grabbed you," Jason demanded as he kept a tight lid on his impatience. They were ten minutes from Carly's house… her current one, and he anxious to know if she would be there to meet Lulu as her cousin had requested. He'd know what to do next if she didn't. And if she did… he as going to chain her to a chair in his apartment until he was certain she wasn't going to skip town again, at least not without him. Of course, first he's got to figure out what the hell is going on.

"Nothing much to tell," Lulu explained as she shifted to get into a more comfortable position so not _every_ pothole on the road was going to cause her pain. Unfortunately, the back seat of an oversize SUV wasn't designed for small children and wounded people. "The house they took me to was creepy, creepier than Wyndmere even; which I didn't think was possible. Lots of guys, it wasn't some small time operation."

"How many guys?"

"Don't know, didn't stop running long enough to case the place."

"Do you know where it's located?"

"Not really, pretty remote location, lots of trees. We were at least an hour or so away from Carly's old place; you know, the one you sent me off to. But I think I was at least five or six miles away from there by the time they grabbed me."

"Why were you out?"

"I needed to get away," she replied, closing her eyes against the dying sun in the West. She was so tired. All the stress and the fear and the running… the only good thing to come out of it was she got to meet a genuine fallen angel.

"Get away from what?"

She opened one blue eye and leveled it upon Jason with the kind of sneering focus that would have done Luke proud. "From the so-call _bodyguard_ you sent me off with. Nice job by the way." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back a little more. No position felt comfortable. "Are we there yet?"

"Five minutes," Jason answered stoically. He watched Lulu for a moment and sighed. It didn't take a genius to figure out that situation now. "How did you find out?"

In a lowered voice, "You shouldn't tell Spinelli things you don't want people to know. He can keep a secret but when he's upset or angry… well, let's just say that loose lips sinks ships and leave it at that, okay?"

He was going to kill Spinelli. "We have him under control."

"Not that way I see it."

"He knows where he stands. And he knows the consequences of his actions."

Lulu wasn't born yesterday. "Meaning you've either blackmailed or threatened him or – and here's my take – both."

"He'll be handled."

"But he will not be handling me."

"Fine," he conceded without protest. He can certainly understand Lulu not wanting to rely on Cooper for her safety after almost having gotten her killed only months before. "I'll switch your guards around but you _cannot_ run from them. They can't protect you if they don't know where you are."

"I wouldn't have ran if I thought I was safe." She tilted her and looked at him. "Where's Carly? Why aren't you out looking for her yourself?"

"There was a situation here and I…"

"Bull! You and I both know that Carly would have dropped everything if _you_ were the one that needed her."

He knew that. She'd proved it too many times for him to ever doubt that.

His silence peaked Lulu's interest and she turned to stare at him for a moment. His usually unreadable face held something there: sadness? frustration? regret? It was hard to say… he was so stone-faced. (She grimaced inwardly.) But it wasn't the restless anxiety she thought would be here at her mention of Carly's disappearance. And that would mean… "She ran away, didn't she? From your people?" He didn't answer her but his eyes shifted. Lulu smirked. "And I'm going to guess that she came home the minute she found out that Liz lost the baby and you were torn up about it. Then you managed to lose her again once she checked up on you, right? That's what this is all about, isn't it? I mean, I know that you came to get me because you said you'd protect me from whatever but… you knew that Carly would come looking for me if I was in trouble so you want to be here when she does, huh?"

Spencers were annoyingly smart and intuitive… Jason really resented that particular trait right now.

Carly's house had a four-sided gate guarded by pit-bull looking men in suits that fitted just a little too snugly around the shoulders. Her massive cottage looking home was both impressively unimposing and ridiculous cute for such a huge place. Lulu loved it here. It was the only place that felt like home in a long time. And Carly's warm layback kind of motherly love made it all the more real to her.

"It's a really nice place, huh?" she asked as the gates opened up to allow them through.

"It's Carly's home," Jason replied, as if it answered everything. And to him, it did.

Lulu looked at him again. Something happened; something had changed. She was sure of it. The question is what?

All the lights in the house was on but that was nothing new; the lights were almost always on. Lulu was out of the car in a flash and ignored the shouted warnings from Jason and the rest of his troops. She wanted to see for herself that Carly was safe. "CARLY!!" as she crashed through the front door and slammed right into the person she was looking for.

They were both still sprawled on the ground when Jason finally caught up to Lulu. Both blonde heads and pairs of blue eyes looked up at him with a sort of embarrassed laughter.

"Oh yeah," Carly said as she got up and brushed herself off. "Real graceful." She reached down and helped Lulu up when Jason couldn't get her to move. "You all right?"

Lulu was busy checking her bandage. They appear to be clear of blood. "Yeah, I think so."

"What happened?" Carly bent and checked her. "Why are you all bandaged up again?"

Making a face and an effort to get up, "I blew a stitch climbing in and out of cars when they sent me away and then another one when I climb through window trying to get out. Looks okay though." Lulu smiled and hugged Carly. "I'm glad you're safe. I was worried."

"_You_ were worried?" Carly smoothed back Lulu's hair. "Imagine how I felt when I heard that Zaccharas got their hands on you." She pulled back and look at her. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. What happened? Did Jason and Sonny have to trade you for something?"

"No," Lulu shook her head, "I got away on my own… with a little unexpected help. I don't think they were quite prepared for _me_." She gave her cousin a mischievous grin. "It's never good to underestimate a Spencer."

"Unexpected help?" Carly raised an brow at that and looked a little more closely at her cousin. Lulu blushed, which had Carly sighing. It was like looking at herself. "Who was the guy?"

Lulu gave her a self-deprecating smile and shrugged. She glanced at Jason, who was silently staring, and then at Carly, who was steadily avoiding the other person. Oh yeah, something was definitely up. "I'm starving, is there anything to eat?"

"Way to change the subject," Carly muttered then nodded. "I'll make you something," then left the room quickly. Jason was going to want answers – from them both, and she didn't want to deal with it right now, nor did she have any to give.

"Um…" Lulu gave Jason a knowing look and circled the room slowly. "I don't remember there _ever_ having any weird vibe between the two of you… until now. What's going on Jason? What happened?"

"Nothing," which was of course a total lie. "Tell me about this guy you were with. What's his name?"

"I already told you. His name is Johnny."

"Johnny what?"

"Just Johnny. Kind of like Madonna and Prince."

"Lulu…" he warned; he had to remember that she didn't respond well to authority. "The kid pulled a gun on me."

"You broke into the room," she reminded him then sat down. She was still sore and in pain. Maybe she should have gone to the hospital and get the wound checked out. Another infection would really suck. "I'm not sure what you expected us to do."

"He had a gun," he repeated.

"He was protecting me," she told him. She knew why he had a gun… he had to have a gun; he had to have of gun because he was born needing one. "By the way, over kill much with the whole breaking down door and charging in thing? One of us could have been standing right there against the door!"

"Lulu…"

"And why are you changing the subject?" she asked pointedly. She gave him that perfected look of teenage defiance. "I asked you what was going on with you and Carly and you totally turned this on me. So what happened?"

Jason wanted to strangle her.

"Eat," Carly commanded as she came back in and plunk the sandwich and soda in front of Lulu. "And stop harassing Jason."

"I just wanted to…"

"Eat!" Carly said sitting down in front of her to supervise.

"I'm eating, I'm eating," taking a bite and a peek at the two in front of her. Oh yeah… something was definitely up.

-&-&-&-

Tossing the half-emptied carry-on suitcase onto the bed, the lone occupant began to pack up the sparse items thrown about the room despite the week long occupancy. Long since learned to pack light and move fast, material goods were easily acquired and disposed of without thought. The only thing that was valued and lovingly protected was a silver framed photo; that was carefully wrapped in silk and shoved into the most protected area of the luggage.

A quick check through the open window revealed the strategic location of the nondescript hotel's most obscured room in the back, three floors up and just far enough from the busy street to avoid prying eyes. Weapons were disposed of through the window into the dumpster below: two untraceable hand guns, one disassembled modified rifle and three knives, two of stainless steel and one of plain iron hunting quality; no one would find them until their owner was long gone… if found at all. That's the best part about being inside a bustling city; it was much freer to move around undetected. Everything will have to be replaced once the next destination was reached; but that was nothing.

The phone rang alerting the occupant to the taxi waiting outside.

It was time to go.

-&-&-&-

Enrico snapped his phone closed with a satisfied sigh. There's nothing quite like a perfect deal to make one happy. Smiling, he headed into the front room where Lorenzo was busy scowling at his computer screen. Despite the rising numbers, he didn't seem to find any enjoyment out of the work he excelled at. "It's been done."

"And the Santos?"

"On their way back to Venezuela. They'll be at the compound when you require them again."

"Good," he sighed and rubbed face with a free hand. "Any word on Carly?"

"No sign of her," Enrico leaned against the table, "Your ex-wife if very apt at hiding."

"She's had to many times."

"But I have heard that the girl-child is found."

Lorenzo's head snapped up. "They found Lulu?"

"More like she found them," he picked up a folder on the table and handed it over. "Conversation between the Spencer girl and her brother. We spliced into the tap Corinthos has on the Cassadine's landline. They traced it to a motel just within city limit. They have the girl now." He didn't add that the word was the trace had been difficult… the phone the girl had been using was modified one; something very unusual and suspect.

Reading the transcript, "Who is this 'friend'?"

"We're looking into that right now," Enrico replied with a cautious tone.

Looking up, Lorenzo read the look on Enrico's face. "Your thoughts?

Filtering through some ideas, he decided to go with one of his favorites. "It is said that Anthony Zacchara has a son."

Blinking back the surprise, "You don't think…"

He shrugged with a smirk of amusement. "Why not? They should be of approximate age. She's a pretty girl. He's a young man locked in that house with a man said to be not right. A perfectly romantic formula."

Laughing, Lorenzo nodded his head in appreciation of the idea. "Yes, it would be a lovely Romeo and Juliet moment, won't it?" he chuckled. "Corthinos would love that." He laughed again and wondered how those two cousins could be so alike. "Get me confirmation."

A grinning Enrico gave a mocking solute. "I'm already on it."

-&-&-&-

Jason watched Carly and Lulu for another moment, one chatting away while the other counter with a few points from experience. The two of them look comfortably situated for the moment. He shut the door behind him and hurried downstairs. Securing the house and grounds weren't going to take long, everything was locked up tight as it was (Carly seemed to be the only one that always manage to circumvent them) but it doesn't hurt to be doubly cautious… from every direction. You can never trust a Spencer not to run at the first opening they get.

Picking up his phone, he reported in with Sonny and shut down the rest of the operations as discussed. He then put a call in with the boys overseas and set the usual stuff into motion. He call his sister and let her know of the situation with Lulu and Carly. He checked in with his contacts and the informants and everyone else that was being watched, protected or traced. He wanted it everything handled so the rest of his night would go uninterrupted. He needed it that way.

Like it or not, he and Carly would have to talk and work out what had gone wrong and how to get back to their comfort zone and… and what happened last night.

This cannot go on.

He cannot let it.

-&-&-&-

The dinner crowd was thinning out… finally. And Georgie was going to get a moment of breathing space… _finally_. The diner seem to get busier and busier as the days of the weeks wore on. Summer crowds were always a little more difficult to handle and Georgie seem to be the only one working these days. Not that she blamed any of the others: Lulu was under protective custody, Jamie had an ailing baby and Karen had a busted foot that made getting around the diner difficult. So… that just left good old reliable Georgie to hold down the fort.

Well, at least the pay was decent. She might have enough to go abroad without having to borrow too much with the student loan office.

The diner door opening almost elicited a groan from her until she saw who it was; then it was a matter of trying playing to it cool.

Logan Hayes and Cooper Barrett headed to the back table, away from the windows else and sat down across each other with scowls on their face. Well, that's not exactly true. Logan was scowling at Cooper while Cooper was frowning at the tabletop, obviously troubled by his own thoughts. Neither one looked happy and Georgie wasn't one to poke a wounded lion with a stick. No doubt in her mind who would get the short end of the stick.

"You cannot, under any circumstances ever repeat what you told me," Logan hissed with a shake of his head. He still couldn't believe it of Cooper. Never in the million years would he thought that straight-laced, by the books, Cooper Barrett would pull a stunt like… "My god, you have any idea what the consequences would be?"

"More than you know," Coop murmured resignedly as he slumped in his seat. The commissioner was having a fit over the latest stunt the Corinthos organization have pulled under his watch. To yank a witness… All Coop could hope for now was to keep his job on the force and hoped to god that he could still be of use to Jason Morgan and to bring Lulu Spencer home safely. Lucky Spencer's standing among his fellow officer was good and they are moving in force to help him… and blaming Coop for losing her in the first place; not that he blamed them. But Cooper's got a personal stake in it… and he wasn't even referring to his own health.

"Coffee?" Georgie said forcefully as she dropped cups and saucers on the table and carelessly splashed scolding hot coffee into Logan's lap.

Swearing up a blue streak, Logan leapt out of his chair and made an vain attempt at shaking out the hot coffee on his pants. "What the hell…"

"Sorry," Georgie grabbed a rag she'd been using to clean the tables and made an gesture to clean the mess up but Logan stopped her with a braced hand.

"That's okay, that's okay," frowning at the dirty rag, "I'll do it myself," and headed to the second floor of the diner. "Coop, I'm going to use your shower."

Nodding his head in agreement, Cooper ignored Georgie as she cleaned up and pour the coffee in to the cups. He did not want company right now… especially anyone with the last name of Jones. He's got way too much on his mind.

"Blow up any buildings lately?" Georgie asked conversationally as she took the seat that Logan vacated. Cooper's head came up so fast that Georgie was surprised that he didn't give himself whiplash. "Yeah, I found out," when all he did was stare at her silently. "Did you honestly think that you can keep it a secret forever? In this town?"

All the air in Cooper's lungs seem to have been extracted in one big suction leaving him dizzy and gasping for life. This wasn't suppose to happen. No one was suppose to ever find out about his part in the whole Metro Court debacle – though why he thought it was going to remain a secret was beyond him. Secrets always get out… sooner or later. He just hoping for later… much later… when he was safely out of town and on his way back to Iraq. At this point, it would probably be safer to face enemy fire on foreign soil than in Port Charles.

"What I want to know is why?" Georgie asked her eyes fierce with anger and betrayal. She liked Cooper Barrett; thought that for once her sister had finally found someone that was worthy and would bring out the best parts in her that Georgie saw. Maxie has been lost since Jesse's death and Cooper… Cooper _seemed_ like such a nice guy. More the fool are they….

"It was… it was complicated," he answered lamely.

"It was complicated," Georgie repeated with a look of extreme annoyance. "That's all you can come up with after living under false pretenses for nearly eight months in this town? 'It was complicated?' What the heck kind of pathetic excuse is that?"

"It's…" Coop sighed. Anything he said in his own defense sounded hollow and false, even to his own ears; and yet, he still couldn't stop himself from trying. "Things aren't black and white in this world. I'm not saying that what I did was right… I'm just saying that everything that happened the night of the Metro Court hostage situation was more that just what you saw or heard on TV. It was never suppose to be like that… no one was suppose to get hurt."

"Which is why you all went in with automatic weapons, armed to the teeth and packing C4 right? Because _no one_ was suppose to get hurt?"

"Okay, when you put it like that…"

"How else am I suppose to put it?" Georgie demanded, glancing around the empty diner quickly. "You shot my cousin!"

"I didn't shot anyone," he replied quickly. "One shot Dr. Scorpio. None of us…"

"You were in on it," George shot back. "What? Did you think you were carrying squirt guns? You think that you were all carrying fakes? Don't give me that bull! You were armed, which means you had acknowledge that it could get violent. I don't care who pulled the trigger, you were there with the intent to do harm. That's _all_ I need to know."

"It was suppose to a snatch and run. No one was suppose to be shot!"

"Oh… so since your _intentions_ weren't to kill anyone, it's okay for you to have committed a crime, right? I mean, forget that kind of trauma you caused or the amount of property damage that might have come from your deciding to stick up a hotel…"

"Georgie, it wasn't that simple."

She gave him a look of fury. "Fine, it wasn't that simple. Let's break it down, shall we?" she slapped the rag in her hand onto the table top. "One, did you or did you not go to the Port Charles Metro Court with the intent of robbing it?"

"Yes but…"

"Okay," cutting him off. "Two, were you or were you not carrying weapons when you entered the Port Charles Metro Court with the intent of robbing it?"

Coop knew a losing battle when he saw one. "Yes but…"

"And three, did you or did you not hold people hostage when your so-call 'snatch and run' didn't do exactly as planned?"

"Yes but…"

"And did you or did you not try to help those that were being terrorized by your boss, the guy that lead you into the Metro Court, armed and with the intent of robbing the place?"

His heart stopped. He may have been trapped in the vault with Maxie but he had time to help once the doors were unsealed. He should have helped, then maybe… Hindsight is always 20/20 and the bottom line was that he didn't do anything. "No."

Georgie's eyes, which have never once been unkind to anyone, went cold with disgust. "I rest my case."

And the defense has no case to present at all. "So… now that you know…"

"What am I going to do?" Georgie asked as she stood up and began to walk away. "I'll let Maxie know when I've decided. Oh… and stay away from my sister. She doesn't need your kind of trouble."

"Georgie…"

"And stay away from Lulu if you know what's good for you. If her father or brothers found out what you did, Jason Morgan is going to be the least of your problems. Actually, what they do to you will be mild compare to what I'll do to you. You've already put her life on the line one too many times, I won't let you do it again." She walked away and didn't look back, her mind already churning with what to do next. But first… she's got to talk to Maxie.

Logan made a tisking sound with his teeth as he came down the stairs, having heard most of that conversation and not willing to draw fire from the usually docile Georgie Jones. That girl was practically spitting nails just now. "Buddy, have you got a problems _now_."

_To be continued…_

So? Thoughts anyone?


	20. Home

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Carly lets her thoughts known, Liz wants to go home and trouble is stirred up at the Zaccharas.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help… or a nice visit to Shadybrook.

**Author's Note**: Okay, for a while it looked like the GH writers were actually going to allow Carly's character to grow, mature and learn from the mistakes of her past… ie Michael's shooting. But now, they're back to the whiny, manipulative Carly of the old, fighting with Kate and sniping at Jax… anyone else tired of it yet? I'm just waiting for another "Jason must save Carly" moment, because it follows these "Carly does something stupid" moments. Why can't they allow the evolution of a character to take place? Is it really so wrong to want the character to learn something?

**Second Author's Note**: Sorry for the delay. I just returned from an extended family vacation. It was lovely, it was hot and it was loud. Okay, onwards and forwards.

**Acknowledgement**: I want to take a moment to dedicate this chapter to a fellow fanfic writer: carolinebenson. If you haven't read her magnificent story, "The Enforcers," you are missing out. I highly recommend it.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 20 – Home

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The print outs were there neatly stacked in individual file folders settled across the worktable, as requested. (Ronny besides being the best book keeper in the world was also an excellent researcher and organizer.) Each one was clearly labeled with a name across the top in big, bold, black letters: Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr.; Jason (Quartermaine) Morgan; Lorenzo Alcazar; Caroline "Carly" Benson; Richard "Ric" Lansing and Alexis Davis. Newspaper clippings, police records, hospital records, internet articles, photos, bank statements, flow charts of connections… it was all there.

Also there was a dull silver case, locked with a mechanism uniquely designed for just this box and this box only. Three people can open it; everyone else gets their hands mangled for their efforts. Nestle within would be the specific items asked for and custom made by a retained craftsman of the highest skill; two handguns made to be handled comfortably by one individual and a half dozen throwing knives created to be concealed in very strategic locations.

Exactly per ordered, as needed.

After all, there was work to be done.

-&-&-&-

Lucky held his breath. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Luke took the cigar out of his mouth and blew smoke into the night air. "That sister of yours is going to be the death of me."

Smirking, "That's because she takes after you."

That brought a smile to Luke's proud papa face. "True, true…"

"Where's Jason taking her now?"

"Carly's house; they've refortify the place so that not even a mouse can get in," Luke answered with a frown. "They're going to hold up there until they find that niece of mine… the other troublemaker in the family."

"Carly's not so bad," Lucky replied shifting Cameron in his arms to avoid his father's cigar smoke, "When she's not thinking of only herself, she's actually a pretty decent person. And there's no doubt that she's good to Lulu."

Luke said nothing to the sudden deference. He didn't mind that Lucky and Carly were actually getting along now… there's no better defender than Carly when someone is in trouble; Lucky could use someone on his side now and again. "Tracy's all bent out of shape because I won't go after Lulu myself, said something about taking responsibilities and doing my fatherly duties. I didn't particularly want to point out that the useless half of the police force was already on the case and Sonny wasn't too thrilled with my suggestion of jumping into the fray. Nor was she particularly happy to hear that I thought Lulu can take care of herself and that I'd know if she was in serious danger."

"Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Know? Know that she's in trouble, real trouble? Would you _really_?"

Luke considered this a moment. "Yes."

"How?"

"Your mother would tell me," Luke answered in no uncertain term. The taste of sweet tobacco in his mouth and thoughts of the mother of his children brought a bittersweet smile to Luke's face. "Laura will always watch out for her babies. If Lulu was in serious danger, my angel would let me know."

Smoothing down Cameron's ticking curls under his chin, Lucky watched his father a moment in the fading light. "You and Mom… you had this great love affair and it turned into this lifetime of ups and downs and… Dad," wondering how he could be asking this of his father, "Did you ever regret any of it?"

"Regrets?" Luke asked, glancing over once but never wavering, "Some but never enough to wish it anything but what it was. Your mom and I had the kind of love that would have never followed the usual path. We were different… we had our own kind of magic. And Laura was… Laura _is_ still the most beautiful, wonderful, generous, kind person _this_ scoundrel had ever had the miracle of loving and being loved by." He stared off into the distance. "God I miss you, Angel."

Lucky watched the light in his father's eyes as he spoke of Laura and wondered briefly if he ever got the same look when he thought of Liz. Chances were pretty good that he did… Liz was his first love, his only _real_ love, and after everything that they've been through, his heart still bleeds for her with each beat.

"Go on, Cowboy," Luke said quietly as he continued to stare off into the distance. "Go home. It's time." He grinned slightly. "And I'm sure Carly would love to have that room of yours at the Metro Court back for paying customers and all."

Smiling, Lucky nodded his head. It was definitely pass time for him to go home; home to _his_ family, to the love of _his_ life.

-&-&-&-

Carly pulled the comforter up over Lulu's shoulders and tucked it into the curves of her neck and gently brushed a lock of sunshine out of Lulu's eyes. The shadows that danced across the girl's cheek and dusted the circles under her eyes gave her pause. Her baby cousin looked exhausted. The past few months have been extremely hard on her… on everyone in general but especially on her. And it showed.

"Poor baby," soothing back Lulu's fine hair. "You're had it hard, huh?"

She wished, with all her heart, that she could take away some of the misery and pain Lulu's had to endured. You'd think after seeing her own stellar track record, Lulu would have learned something from her. But they were stubborn, the two of them, and they each learned life the hard way. Though Carly supposed that it didn't surprise her at all that Lulu was forging a path of her own… she is Luke Spencer's daughter after all.

"You better be careful Lulu," Carly whispered softly as she stared at her cousin with wrinkled brows. "Things can get ugly really fast in the mob; and I do not want to see you getting caught up in that world like I was. You'll only end up getting hurt… like the rest of us."

A slight movement in the doorway caught her eyes about two seconds too late. Of course, it didn't surprised her at all to see Jason there. She should be use to his stealthy swiftness by now… it's save her life more than once. But right now, it was just annoying.

Also annoying was the fact that he was patiently just standing here, waiting for her to finish and was more than likely to follow her out of the room, down the hall and into whatever room she decided to situate herself into for the evening… even if it was her own bedroom. The one she shared with her still MIA fiancé. She and Jax are going to have serious words whenever he shows his face again. Of course, then she'd have to explain why she slept with yet another man while he was away. First Sonny, now Jason… maybe it was a sign of something a little more serious than her lack of control. God knows that none of her relationships have ever been smooth… and usually better in her mind than in reality.

"Can we talk?" Jason asked quietly in difference to Lulu's sleeping presence.

Well, no one ever said Jason beat about the brush. "I'd rather not," Carly admitted in a rather blunt display of honesty then brushed pass him. She didn't expect him to accept that… and he didn't. In fact, Jason grabbed her arm and was currently giving her that patented look of impatience that only Jason can employ without actually looking aggravated. Oh yeah, he was definitely not going to accept that.

Dragging her along, Jason decided that the bedrooms were not a great place for the kind of talk they will be having… plus having Lulu in the next room could have the unusual and adverse effect of Carly restraining herself, a feat she seldom if ever accomplish. On the other hand, the silent and cold Carly in Florida was someone Jason didn't know at all. He needed her to do her usual mad antics routine. He needed Carly to vent her spleen and get whatever was in her system out so they can move on… so _they_ can move on.

"You know," Carly muttered as she tripped her way down the stairs trying to keep up with Jason long stride. "It's usually me that pulls you along everywhere and nags you about talking, not the other way around." And she was finding this particular situation to be rather irritating… much to her own internal dismay.

"Things change," Jason replied checking the doors and windows with a quick glanced before depositing Carly on the sofa. He pulled the curtains on the front door and gave instructions to the guards just outside in a quiet whisper. There was going to be no interruptions. He glanced at the front table, Carly's new cell phone was on it. Very causally, he picked up the phone, turned it off with determined press of a button, crossed the room to her desk, opened the front drawer and simply dropped it in, slamming the drawer shut with a loud clang. He considered adding his own phone but thought better of it. Business was business (and it was a dangerous business); it doesn't stop just because he would like it to.

Carly sat silently, a first for her, and waited for the end to come. There wasn't anything for her to say, she's said it all through the years of deceiving herself. There was no tears left to shed for a friendship that was a great deal more in her own mind than in the mind of the person she placed her most trusted faith in. And last night? Last night was her goodbye. She wasn't going to ask for anything more. Ever.

"Carly," he sat down next to her, turning to faced her, uncomfortable in the unnatural quiet of the room. It had never been like this before, never so hard to speak because Carly had always filled the void with her indomitable will and endless chatter. But now… Sighing, "Say something Carly."

"There's nothing more to say," Carly replied with a fatal finality, leaning her head back against Morgan's baby blanket. She held onto it because it had been a gift from Jason to his name sake, another piece of Jason she can physically have in her life because it was all that he allowed her. Another piece of the lie she told herself for too long.

Her tired and defeated tone sent a shiver of panic through Jason. This conversation wasn't going according to his expectations. Of course, with Carly, nothing ever does. Just when he thought he's got her all figured out, she'll pull something else out of her that stops him dead in his tracks. But this… this was what he had secretly feared for the last decade: Carly had woken up and realized that Jason wasn't worth the kind of passion and devotion that she had been exerting all this time.

"Carly," he couldn't let this go without fighting for it, "I know that you're angry with me…"

"I'm not," Carly replied neutrally. "I'm not angry anymore. I'm over it." Total lie but what else was there to do? The only thing she was good at was lying, even to herself.

"Carly," he tried again. "We have to talk about this whole thing."

"No, we don't," quite simply, trying to get back up and head upstairs again. She didn't have the energy yet to deal with her own messed up head. She was just too tired. "I think I finally got everything straight in my mind now so I think I'll just…" He grabbed her wrist, delicate and fine boned, and pulled her down with just enough force to drop her into his lap. She landed with a protesting "oof" and felt herself lean into his embrace on instinct born long ago when she had thought her place was with him, always. She fought against the easy way she could just fall right back into her usual pattern of behavior; it was hard but she did it. "What are you doing?"

"We have to talk," he emphasized this by turned her about and facing him. He was never one to avoid the topics, mostly because he didn't really know how. Guile was not his strong suit. "We can't keep going on like this."

"We're not," Carly said quietly, earnestly for the first time in a long time. She understood that she can't keep going on the way she's been doing the last ten years, it wasn't healthy for her, nor for her boys. But she certainly can't run away from a life where Jason wasn't part of her daily existence, she had her boys' safety to consider. All she can do is compromise where she would rather not have to; she was selfish that way. "Things are going to change from now on."

The firm control she had over herself both reassured Jason and scared him. A determined Carly was often times more dangerous than a reckless Carly. You can manipulate and handle a reckless Carly; a determined Carly was simply an unstoppable force and all you can do is hang onto something until the storm blows over and you can finally survey the damage in the wake. "Exactly what are you talking about?"

"I trust Max," Carly answered out of the blue. "I trust Milo. I know that Frankie and Joe and Andre are loyal to the point of being a pain in the ass but they're good people that know they're jobs well. I can trust them and I can trust that they will stand in front of a bullet for either one of my kids; I don't mind having them as personal details for Michael and Morgan.

"Lulu and I can take care of ourselves better. We're not perfect but we tend to know what to do in a crisis… at least survival-wise; we don't need the kind of guards that my boys do. If you can just give us a couple of shadows, discreet ones that you trust, Lulu and I will try to stay out of the way of anything that might put us in the line of fire; at least until the current situation is handled to you and Sonny's satisfaction.

"I don't like this – and I know that Lulu definitely doesn't, and I'll talk to her about it – but we'll stay _here_ under lock and key, just like you want. I will handle the Metro Court day to day operation by remote through the managers, that's what they're there for. And Lulu can have some peace and quiet to recuperate from everything she's been through, she's more than earned it; I'll see about having her school stuff suspended or having her attend class via satellite or something. But she'll stay here. This should give you guys one less thing to worry about while you deal with whatever the hell is going on."

Confused by the change in topic and the ways she was methodically planning an easy and simple way to protect her and hers (something he's been trying to get her to do for years now without success), it was so unlike _his_ Carly to be this reasonable that Jason didn't know what to do for a moment. And her plan… it excluded any personal interaction with him. She had cut him neatly and cleanly out of her life without any effort… because he had set it up that way long ago. Jason had made sure that _he_ wouldn't have to personally deal with Carly over every minor thing all the time without her _specifically_ summoning him. He had set this up purposely because he hadn't foreseen a day when she won't be with him – won't want him around anymore.

"I know you're busy," she continued quietly, watching him with calm, even accepting, eyes. "I know that Lulu and I haven't made it easy for you to protect us. It stops _now_. We'll follow directions; we'll make it effortless for your men and you can do whatever it is you need to do to put an end this. Then we can _all_ get on with our lives."

"What about us?" that was the only thing that mattered right now.

Blinking, Carly turned her face away. There was a silence that was heavy with tension. "Jason…" she took a breath and changed her mind. "I'm going to bed."

"Carly," he reached for her again but she avoided it this time. He ignored the sting of rejection, refusing to walk away. "We have to talk about _us_."

She headed upstairs, forcing herself not to turn, not to give in. "There is no '_us_,' Jason. There never was. I'm home now, I know my place. Good night."

-&-&-&-

"What the heck are you doing?!" Lucky carefully placed Cameron on the visitor's chair and hurried over to his wife. "Get back in bed."

Liz raised swollen, bloodshot eyes to him and nodded toward the other side of the room. "I need to use to restroom."

"You don't have enough water left in your body to pee," Lucky muttered and then helped her move her IV stand to her other arm before guiding her slowly toward the bathroom door.

"MOMMY!" Cameron screamed at the top of his lungs while bouncing on his chair.

"I'll be right back, Baby," Liz said tiredly as she shuffled her way to the bathroom and closed the door on Lucky's tired and concern face. She didn't have to ask why here were bags under his eyes and hollows across his cheek, or why he looked like he'd been wearing the same shirt for three days and had four day's worth of growth across his jaw. His eyes said it all; they looked as red and swollen as her own felt.

And Lucky had been right. She didn't need the bathroom. She just needed an escape. More than that, she needed a few minutes to herself. A few minutes with just her thoughts and the memories and fantasies of her lost child. Another tiny soul gone before it even had a chance to begin a life… a life that would have been so full of wonderful things. First steps. First teeth. First toy. First word….

None of that would come about now… none of it.

The baby was gone. She had… she had accepted it. Lucky was gone too… she understood that. Now, it was just her and Cameron. Just her and her son. And that's just the way it has to be.

"Liz?" the knock on the door was a little more frantic than normal. Lucky's soft voice, the one he used for those he loved, carried through the door and drew blood from Liz's heart. "Liz, are you all right in there?"

She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water cross her face. She needed to pull herself together. She needed to be strong now… for Cameron. Oh god, how is she suppose to explain to her little boy that there will be no brother or sister for him? After she had promised faithfully for months now…

"Liz! Elizabeth!! Liz, answer me!"

"I'm coming," not wanting to panic Lucky. She didn't want to be a bother to him more than she already has been. "I'll be right out."

Lucky waited rather impatiently and more than just a little anxiously right outside the door, listening intently for any sounds of falling body hitting the cold tiled floor. Cameron tottering over and tugging on his pant leg for a lift up didn't even distract him. He merely reached out, lifted the boy and rested the little head on his shoulder, all the while expecting the door to open up. After another two minutes…

"LIZ!"

"I'm here," she struggled with the handle of the door and almost dislodged her IV in the process. She's going to have to talk to the admin about the heavy door handles. "Ow…"

"Here," Lucky held the door with one hand and Cameron with the other. "Are you all right? Do you need a doctor?"

"I'm all right," she whispered, allowing him to help her maneuver the IV stand as she climbed back into the bed slowly, trying to ignore the painful pull of muscles, torn tissues and stitches. She wasn't bashful about getting physical help; she is a nurse after all, that's part of her job. Once she was situated again in the bed, she reached for her child. "Come here, Little Man. Mommy missed you so much."

Carefully releasing the squirming Cameron into Liz's arms, Lucky sighed and sat down at the foot of the bed to watch the two for a moment. Liz was always happiest with Cameron in her arms: Madonna and child. And though her eyes were sad and tired, she still smiled as Cameron made gurgling baby noises and tugged on Liz's curls with the determine intent to bring his mother some happiness with his simple, sweet child like antics. It was beautiful.

"Do you know," Liz asked quietly once Cameron had settled down in her lap and rested his quiet little head on her shoulder, "when they plan on releasing me?"

"Not for another day or two longer," Lucky replied, resting his hand on her knee as he came closer. "Your body needs some serious rest. Dr. Lee says that she wants to make sure your internal wounds are closed before releasing you, eliminate the risks of infection and relapse."

"I don't want to stay here," Liz said smoothing a hand over Cameron's curls. She really didn't want to stay here… with people dropping in, avoiding her eyes, offering sympathy, saying all the right things but never being able to comfort her. "I just want to go home." The thought of home brought a wince. She didn't really have a home now, did she? The house she was staying at was Lucky's home… it was the home Laura Spencer had created for her family. Well… there was always Grams.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lucky interjected quietly, taking his sleepy son from his mother's lap. He didn't want Cameron to accidentally do damage to his mother, the kid like to kick in his sleep. "Dr. Lee thinks that…"

"Kelly is being too cautious," Liz replied with a sigh as she eased herself back into the bed. Her little man was getting bigger and bigger every day, almost too heavy for her to carry on her own now. "If it was any other patient in the hospital, she would have them released by now."

"But you're not just any other patient in the hospital, Liz. You are her friend."

"Exactly," she said tiredly, "and I don't want any special treatment."

"Liz…"

"I just don't want to be here anymore," Liz admitted quietly, fiddling with the tube connecting her to the clear liquid bag overhead. "There's… there's too many people around here. I don't need their pity."

"No one pities you," Lucky answered as he lifted the sleeping Cameron off her lap and into the space next to him. The little guy wore himself out running around town with Luke then being fussed over by all the nurses at the hospital; Liz was well loved by the staff. "They're just concerned… with good reason."

"I'm fine."

"They had to sedate you eight hours ago."

"I'm better now."

"You don't have to be strong, Liz; not about this. We can help."

Silence.

"_I_ can help," Lucky corrected softly.

Liz held her breath, not daring to breathe and disturb the moment: the moment she had been hoping for since… since her life went to hell and she's been without the better part of her heart for all that time. But this wasn't how she wanted it to be. "You don't need to pity me, Lucky. I made my bed, now I can very well…"

"No one pities you, Liz," Lucky replied simply and rather harshly in the face of her pain, "You think too little of us." He wasn't going to back down, not this time.

Taken aback, Liz stared for a moment. That wasn't the reaction she had expected. "I just… I don't want you to think that you have to take care of me just because I'm a little…"

"I don't," Lucky said as he rested his hand on Cameron's head. His boy… this was _his_ boy… this was _his_ family. "I want to come home, Liz. Is that all right?"

"If you're coming home just because you feel that I can't take care of Cameron on my own now…"

"Stop talking nonsense," Lucky reprimanded sharply. "You're the most capable person I know. No one doubts your abilities as a mother, no one doubts that you will take care of your child… but no one is invincible either. If you need extra help, say it. But that's _not_ the reason I want to come home. It's _home_, Liz," he gave her a look at weighed on her. "It's _my_ home, _your_ home, _Cameron's_ home. I want to come _home_." He shook his head. "I don't want to keep doing this to myself or to you… I feel like there's a hole in my life and I can't fill it with anger or drugs or work… I can't fill it at all when I'm away from you."

Pain swallowed up Elizabeth and she clutched herself to keep from falling apart. Everything inside her of her seem to have been filled to the brim and any moment now, she felt as if something would simply give. She'd give anything at that moment to hold onto that shiny ray of hope she sees. "Lucky…" he was looking at her with those beautiful eyes, soulful and full of the kind of gentleness that had held her captive in its gaze when they were but mere children experiencing the first tender moments of something magical called love. He was looking at her, not with the pain of betrayal or the pitying pain of regret but with the ever lasting promise of something more than either of them could put into words. For a moment, she was transported to their magical wedding day once more… when they exchanged vows of a love ever lasting. Her fairy tale wedding… to _her_ prince.

"We'll go home together," Lucky said quietly, seeing her eyes waver. "When you are ready."

She nodded, her heart thumping painfully in her throat, "Let's go home."

-&-&-&-

"John…"

"I don't want to hear it," was the decisively disagreeable reply. Johnny had no intentions of allowing his father's mouthpiece to lecture him on his conduct again. The hour and a half of ranting from his father last night was more than enough for him… all he wanted to do was run the treadmill until he exhausted himself enough to sleep. He spent a great deal of time on the internet yesterday after escaping the study looking up anything he could find on Lulu Spencer, or any of the Spencers for that matters, and what he found didn't reassure him. She hadn't been kidding about her family's penchant for trouble.

"John, listen to me, your father is becoming more and more concern with these frequent disappearing acts of yours," Trevor leaned against the metal bars of the weight machine, wrinkling his nose at the smell of sweat, grease and steel.

"You mean my father is pissed that I won't be the good little monkey and let him control me," Johnny replied with a grim shake of his head. "I'm not nine any more; I can't be scared into staying here."

"You know what happens when your father gets into one of his moods," Trevor patiently explained, his eyes watching the darkly beautiful young man. Truth be told, while Travis saw a great deal of Anthony Zacchara in the boy, John's resemblance to his late mother was unmistakable… he had all of her eternal beauty about him. It was quite remarkable really for a boy to be so striking.

"Moods?" Johnny scoffed and then remembered to even out his breath again. "Is that what we're calling it now? Not one of his 'episodes' anymore? What next? He's PMSing?"

"As a woman," the silky dark voice sliced the tension in the room neatly like hot knife on cold butter, "I greatly resent that. But as someone that's seen Daddy's 'moods' one too many times, I can definitely agree." Leaning one slender shoulder against the dark door frame, the scarlet painted lips curved into a smile. "Hello Johnny, miss me?"

Steps slowing, Johnny shared Trevor's slack jaw pose for a second before the welcoming smile alighted his face. "Claudia."

Something inside the dark heart of Claudia Zacchara let go and angels above sang with joy. _"He didn't forget. He reached out to me!"_ Her smile turned a little warmer, a little more sincere and she stepped away from the emotional wall she had erected and opened her arms to the one person in the world she would ever allow into her life. "Surprised?"

"Yeah," Johnny allowed the hug, allowed himself to be loved for a moment before pulling back. He gave Trevor a cold glance. "Do you mind? I haven't seen my sister in sixteen years, I'd kind of like to catch up… in private."

"Then you might want to shower first," Claudia pulled a face and patted Johnny's cheek with one smooth long fingered hand, hands like his… like their father's. "I'll be in the west wing parlor when you're done."

"Promise?" his eyes subtly going to the intruder in the room. Sixteen years…it's been sixteen years since Claudia was sent away; Johnny wasn't going to let Trevor chase her off now.

"Don't worry, baby brother," her voice was velvet steel, "I'm not going anywhere." The glint in her eyes convinced Johnny that he really did have nothing to worry about. Claudia was here and she was here to stay.

"I'll be ten minutes," Johnny said grabbing his towel and heading out. He gave Trevor a warning glance but said nothing as he passed.

"Take your time," Claudia called out after him, her attention already focused on Trevor Lansing. She waited a beat after the silence of the room became almost unbearable. "Hello 'Uncle' Trevor. No great big hello after all this time?"

Trevor's face was almost purple with rage and he was holding onto his control with great determination. "What are you doing here, Claudia?"

"What do you mean? Are you happy to see me again, 'Uncle' Trevor?" Claudia was never very good at playing the innocent and she dropped it quickly when she couldn't stand the thought of playing nice, "This is home… _my_ home; the one you convince Daddy to chase me away from. After all these years, don't you think it's about time I came back?"

Ignoring the suggestion that it had been his decision to send her away, Trevor grabbed her arm in a manner he had once used with her years ago, "Your father is not going to be too happy to see that you've disobeyed his orders and came back here where you are not wanted."

"Not wanted by whom?" Claudia asked coldly, "You? Daddy? You really think it matters to me what you two think?" she smirked quietly. "Did you see Johnny's face? You think I'd listen if Daddy says no?"

Fuming and understanding that Claudia wasn't just putting on an act. "You always did have a soft spot for your brother, didn't you? Just like his mother." Trevor sighed and shook his head in a disagreeable manner. "If you make trouble…"

"What? You'll have Daddy send me away again?" Claudia's eyes was glacial cold as she straightened slowly and firmly took the wrist of the hand that had grabbed her and applied pressure at the base; Trevor winced and his hand went slack. "Don't threaten me, Lansing. The skeletons in your closet will come out to play if you cross me, and no one crosses me these days. I'm not a scared sixteen year old this time and I've learned to play for keeps now." She let go of his hand and walked to the door. A smile played on her lips as she turned to look at Trevor again, "I hope you've been on your best behavior lately. Because I'm about to show you everything I've learned about the business this last sixteen years. Better watch your back, old man; this baby chick is all grown up and has come home to roost."

_To be continued…_

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So… any thoughts on how I'm doing?

**Acknowledgement Continued**: If you've read carolinebenson's story, "The Enforcers," you could probably see where I got the inspiration for Claudia, though mine pales in comparison.


	21. Sideways

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Unsettling Realizations

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Luke gets an invitation, Lulu reaches out, Cooper makes Jason understand and Claudia visits an old friend.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help… or a nice visit to Shadybrook.

**Author's Note**: I love Genie Francis and seriously wish GH will just hire the woman back on a reoccurring basis or something because her and Anthony Geary just brings down the house every time. But the storyline they came up with this time… "Lulu has a break down?" _Seriously!_ Did they not do this storyline an hundred times before that? And _only_ allowing Lulu and Laura scenes? (Yes, I know it was storyline dictated.) What the heck was that all about?! What a complete and utter waste of Genie Francis' talents. (Not that I didn't think that the Lulu and Laura reunion wasn't heartfelt and awesome in every which way… and both actresses better get Emmy nods for this!)

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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Chapter 21 - Sideways

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Computers weren't always friendly for someone that's always relied on his charm and sweet honeyed tongue to make his way in the world. But Luke Spencer was a great believer in adapting to one's changing environment; it's one of those skills that makes him a survivor. Plus he's managed to find all sorts of useful things to do with the ever changing and widely used information highway; there's always another method of getting around a barrier when it came to the unseen world of data and bytes.

Though at the moment, Luke was rather wishing he wasn't quite so apt in finding things out the way he's been doing. He didn't like that someone's been tapping into classified police records about his family, especially his son. Or that someone's been looking into the medical records and police records on his beloved Laura and even his little princess. Or that there's been several attempts at hacking into his own rather dubious financial records through back channels that hadn't been used in… well… Luke was certain glad that most of his more colorful funds were offshore and under assumed alias and such… things he was certain that his lovely blushing bride of a wife didn't know anything about. Tracy was a lot of things but trusting wasn't one of them. But Luke had his doubts as to the identity of the recent attack on his family secrets; they certainly wouldn't be looking at Lucky's police academy records if they were merely after money or blackmail material…

Picking up his phone, Luke dialed an old and familiar number. It rang several times.

"Yeah?"

"Well hello to you too, Sunshine," Luke greeted charmingly.

"What is it Luke?" Sonny answered in the impatient manner those around him had grown use to by now.

Cutting the nonsense, "What's going on involving my baby girl?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone's been poking their dirty noses into _my_ family business. I want to know if it's got anything to do with you."

A long pause followed and Luke can almost hear the wheels churn in Sonny's head. It didn't exactly relieve his unease. "I'll get back to you."

"A name, Cointhos," Luke said in that tone of his that meant business… mob business. No one messes with Luke Spencer's family and hopes to escape unscathed. "Sonny, I want to know who's got a bead on my girl."

There was another pause. Luke knew that Sonny was weighing business with fatherhood; he too had a little girl. "Someone grabbed Lulu, you know that right?"

He made an impatient sound. "Yeah."

"We think it was the Zaccharas."

"Lulu's safe now though, right?" There was enough menace there. "I just spoke with her a couple of hours ago."

Sonny took that tone from few but Luke was an old friend. "Yes."

"Good, now I want to know who decided to use my girl as bait."

"I'll get you a name."

"Quickly?"

"Yeah but Luke…"

"What?"

"Don't go after them yourself."

"Them?" he asked quietly, carefully, "So you do think it's more than the Zaccharas then."

Spencers are smart… and they're quick on their feet… and they're also impulsive. "I'm getting confirmation first. Let Jason handle it."

"Don't you think Jason has enough to do without this?"

"Jason is better at this than anyone else," Sonny reminded him with a carefully neutral tone. No matter what, this was still a business. "Let Jason do what he does best. We're trying out best to keep Lulu safe."

Luke frowned at the phone. "Don't try; _**do**_."

"Right," was the only answer and then he clicked off.

Sighing with exasperation, Luke considered it a moment. He would be totally against his nature to just sit around and wait for someone else to do what was necessary when it came to his own. And though his resources wasn't as great or as far reaching as some of his 'associates,' he was more than capable of a few tricks up his sleeves.

Picking up the phone again, he was surprised to be greeted by a sooth voice. "Good morning, Mr. Spencer."

Blinking for a moment, "And this is…"

"A person of interest," was the carefully oiled voice of an educated but not a refined man. "I think you and I can help each other with a mutual problem, to the benefit of both."

"Really? And how do you figure that, Mr….?"

"Lancing, Mr. Spencer, the name is Lancing."

That left a sore taste in Luke's mouth. "Like our esteemed D.A."

There was a quick intake breath and nothing more. "I think it would be in both of our interest to meet."

"Really?"

"That is, if you care to keep your daughter out of harm's way."

That was totally the wrong thing to say. "Where? When?" Silently adding, _"And how would you like to die?"_

"Tomorrow, Savoy Café, Eastside waterfront, 2:00 PM."

"I'm there," Luke bit out and then hung up with a click that almost snapped his phone in half. No one but no one, threatened his baby girl. And if Ric Lancing was involved… "I knew I should have killed that low life when I had the chance."

-&-&-&-

"You don't have to wait on me, you know," Lulu muttered around a mouthful of soup and chicken. "Oh… this is good."

"The hotel sent it over. I don't trust my cooking," Carly answered honestly as she watched her cousin eat. "By the way, your brother moved out of the hotel and back in with his wife. He says he'll stop by later with Nicholas, Cameron and Spencer so you better prepare yourself for one serious lecture about safety and stuff like that. Oh, and now would probably be a good time to tell you that you look like you've lost some serious weight."

"I _feel_ like I've lost some serious weight," Lulu admitted as she pinched herself in the arm. Nothing but skin and bone with some muscle underneath. "All this shooting and bleeding and kidnapping and running… talk about stress. It'd be a miracle if I didn't lose some weight because of it." She didn't want to think about her brothers' visit; or the fact that at least one of them is going to try to talk her into moving in with them, but if the kids are here…

"You scared me, you know," Carly said soberly as she picked at the quilt on Lulu's bed. "Watching you is like watching myself ten years ago, running into the same pitfalls and going down the same wrong turns," she shook her head and didn't finish the sentence with an advise that she knew was going to be ignored by the youth. "Be careful, okay? You're not going to get a lecture from me about right and wrong and all the bull people are going to be throwing at you. I don't get to do that. But I do get to tell you to be _very_ careful. Don't lose yourself in the middle of all this. That's the worse thing that could happen to you."

Lulu watched Carly for a moment, seeing the dull light in the once firry woman that she's learned to love. It's a vague and dim memory but it held, Carly had lost herself once too. It scared Lulu to see it in her cousin's eyes. "My mom lost herself too. Is that what you're afraid of? That I'll end up like my mom?"

"No," Carly replied in earnest, the thought really never crossed her mind. "You're stronger than Laura; you got her goodness and looks but Luke's strength. Don't let that scare you; you're not going to end up like your mom. Ending up like _me_, on the other hand…."

"What's wrong with ending up like you?" Lulu replied fiercely. This whole self deprivation routine is so unlike the usually confident Carly. "Smart, successful, two beautiful kids, great house, great wardrobe, money in the bank… a girl can do a lot worse."

Carly laughed, it was a genuine laugh of appreciation. Reaching over, she ruffled Lulu's hair a moment and wished, not for the first time, that she had a little girl like this one. "Always remember who you are Lulu, don't let anyone take that away from you."

The finality of the way she said it hit Lulu's heart like an arrow fired at close range. And being one to not really beat around the brush, "What happened with Jason?" The silence sat like a rock in the middle of a bed of flowers; heavy and out of place. Regret was late in coming and prudence was never her strong suit. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."

Chuckling with less mirth and more exasperation, "And when has that ever stopped a Spencer?" Carly gave her cousin a knowing look.

Grinning, "True…"

With a sigh, an acceptance that she's trying to really settle in her heart, Carly answered with a very simple, "Nothing. Nothing is happening now and nothing ever will. Lesson learned and it's time to move on." She wonder if this lesson was going to stick this time. "I've got a life to lead and kids to take care of. And Jax is…" she sighed. Carly wondered momentarily where her former-lover/fiancé/partner was at and what he was doing, but let it go just as fast. Since the Aussie jerk hadn't even bothered to call or write or send a smoke signal in weeks despite the chaos in town lately, she wasn't going to extend her already depleted energy wondering about him. "Well, Jax is not here. I'm not going to make another mistake with Sonny and there's no one else around. I think I'm going to just concentrate on being a good mom for a while." She made a face. "As soon as they bring my boys back from wherever they've hidden them."

"Are you okay with that?"

"What? My boys being hidden? If it's safer for them to not be around right now, I can deal with it."

"I meant about Jason."

"Are we back on that?"

"I didn't know that we had gotten off the subject."

"Lulu…"

"Jason is your best friend. You once said that he was your soul mate."

"I know what I said," resentful of having her own words thrown back at her. "And I now know that it's not true."

Shocked, Lulu choked on her own breath.

"I think I grew up a little in the last few weeks," Carly admitted quietly, almost to herself really. "And I'm finally opening my eyes to some stuff that I didn't really want to see before. But that's okay. It's probably for the best." She gave Lulu a quick glance. "Speaking of which…"

"Oh no," Lulu groaned and leaned back in her bed, "Why do I feel a 'Protect Lulu Plan' coming at me at full speed?"

Carly laughed out loud. It was funny… it really was. "Stop that! We're only trying to…"

"Protect me, got it." She whimpered. "Okay, give it to me quick," then covered her ears.

"Nothing much to it. Stay here, stay out of trouble, stay safe. You'll get shadows and stuff but that's it. Just… stay safe."

"That's it?"

"Yeah," nodding.

"Really?" she looked around the room as if trying to see something there. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Carly said quietly. "It's really as simple as that. But I want to make it clear that _I_ really want you to stay here… here, as in: in this house. Sonny's got men spread so thinly right now with problems that they can't really spare any more to do guard duties with us. The boys come first so I want them to have the top notch people."

"Naturally," Lulu agreed.

"So you and I have to make some sacrifices along the way. Being stuck here is just one of them. But we'll have shadows if we _absolutely_ have to leave the house. And in your condition, I'm not sure you should. I don't want to over burden the guards by having you and me running all over town."

Lulu groaned again, the restrictions made her wish she hadn't turned herself back over to the tender loving care of the Port Charles Mobsters. "You're being awfully reason about this? There was a time when you would have been kicking and screaming and…"

"That was then," Carly replied, her eyes saying a lot more than she wanted to, "and this is for the best. We… we all need this to stop."

Reframing from saying anything more, Lulu nodded and pushed her lunch away. "I'm sleepy."

"Then you rest," Carly advised with a quick smile as she got up and took the tray away. "Do you want me to wake you later for… whatever?"

"No, I'm good," Lulu pulled the covers a little closer, mostly because her body truly was trying to recover and she still felt cold from the blood loss and fever. "Can you just wake me for dinner? And if Lucky or Nikolas comes…"

"I'll make sure you get to see them," Carly kissed the girl's brows. "Sleep well." She closed the door and sighed, more concern for the girl now that she's talked to her. There was something in Lulu's voice and eyes that didn't sit well with her… it really was kind of like looking into the past and clinging at the what the future holds.

Lulu waited half a second after the door closed and she was sure that Carly had left to do whatever it is she needed to do for her businesses. The look in Carly's eyes had been a little scary: a longing for something Carly was now sure she couldn't have. Lulu didn't like to see her cousin this way, defeated; it wasn't the Carly she knew. Picking up her phone, the one she had gotten from Jason to replace the one she had lost, she dialed out. She hoped that Jason was true to his words and the phone wasn't bugged. "It's me: Lulu."

There was a short pause. "Are you all right?"

"Safe and tucked away."

There was another short pause, this one tinged with disappointment. "So no chance of me seeing you then?"

"Now why would you want to do that?"

"Because I want to. Do I really need another reason?"

A quick smile bloomed on her face and she took heart. "Too many guards and too many people will worry if I try to sneak out. I can't do that to them."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," she answered honestly knowing that with Carly around, nothing was going to get to her. "Are _you_ okay?"

Johnny's hand tightened on his phone, his threat thumping hard in his chest. On the one hand, he was sorry that he had worried her when she had so much more to be concerned about; on the other hand, he felt ridiculously good about the fact that she had been thinking of him. "I'm fine, nothing happened, no one knows."

"Good," she gave a sigh of relief. "Now all we have to do is keep Jason from finding out who you are and all will be…"

"No chance of that, Lulu," Johnny answered with all honesty. "From what I heard, Jason Morgan is as thorough of an enforcer as they come. He _is_ going to know. It's just a matter of when and how."

"Why do you sound so calm about it?"

"I can't panic."

"Is that a physical condition?"

"No." He laughed, it wasn't meant to be funny since she said it so seriously but he laughed. It was good to hear her voice; it reassured him. "It wouldn't do me any good to panic over something I can't control. I'll just have to wait to see his next move before I do anything."

"Do?"

"React," he corrected.

"Johnny…" she frowned and wonder how she was going to ask then decided that the straight forth approach is probably her best bet. "Are you part of the business?"

"Are you?"

"No."

"Good," Johnny said with finality, "You shouldn't be. It's an ugly business."

"So says the guy that carries a gun."

"See, first hand knowledge."

She smiled. "I have a really bad feeling that things are going to get a little hairy around here. Be careful, okay?"

"You too," he whispered and listened as she said her goodbye and hung up. He sighed and turned to look out the window of his bedroom/prison, watching the red swamp roses reach for the sky and the pink lady's lace roses crawl out from among the fence. Lulu was like those roses, trapped within the walls of a confine and yet still reached for freedom. Unlike him, who locked himself within even knowing something better was just beyond those walls. But now…

Picking up the phone, he glanced briefly at the clock as the phone rang and rang. "Where are you?" He shook his head and wondered if he made a mistake, "I'm in my room. Find me when you get in."

-&-&-&-

"Where have you been?" was the question that greeted Cooper Barrett as he walked into his dark and what should have been empty room. To say that he was startled was putting it mildly. Flipping the light swatch, Cooper forced his hand from this service weapon even after seeing that Jason Morgan wasn't arms… visibly.

"What is it? Did you find Lulu? Did something happen to her?"

"I asked where you've been," Jason repeated, his face emotionlessly stoic.

Swallowing the panic in his throat, Coop shut the door with a quick kick of his heel and turned to face one of the most dangerous men in town. "Mac has been busting my chop about the whole business with taking Lulu out of town without authorization. I've been on patrol duty for the last twelve hours as part of my reprimand." He turned and regarded Jason with a steady look and a serious intent. "Did you find Lulu?"

There must have been enough concern and starch determination in Cooper's eyes to make an impression. "Lulu escaped on her own," Jason answered in the same neutral tone he used about everything else in life, as if he hadn't just conceded to Coop. "She stayed out of sight until she was sure she was safe then made it back into town without detection." He didn't add the part about her mysterious _benefactor_ and he was going to keep it to himself until he got some _actual_ answers.

"Is she all right?" Cooper wanted to know. The sense of relief that washed through him was almost palatable. At least that was one less thing to hang on his conscious; Lulu was safe, that's really all that he needed to know.

"She's fine," or will be… at least that's what Jason was told. He knew about the minor infection and the persistent low grade fever and how it's being treated by Carly, but other than that, he hadn't really had any interaction with Lulu since Carly sent her to bed. If fact, he hasn't seen Carly since that faithful night in her living room… when she walked away from him.

When she walked away….

"Can I see her?" Cooper asked, already knowing the answer but needing to ask anyways. He wanted a chance to explain, a chance to tell Lulu how very sorry he was for the role he played in the disaster that continues to haunt him. _"How the hell am I ever going to make this right again?"_

"Lulu's not seeing anyone except family right now. We're limiting her exposure. It's safer that way."

It was on the tip to his tongue to explain that he was no danger to Lulu, but his actions to date couldn't back him up. "You're going to keep her prisoner?"

"No different than when I sent her off with you," Jason pointed out.

Coop couldn't really argue with that. He sighed resigned to this and sat down, not all together sure he was relief or not. The silence stretched, surprisingly enough, not uncomfortably, "What's going to happen now?"

"To you or to Lulu?"

"To Lulu," he answered automatically, no longer startled that that he was more concerned for her future than for his less assured one. He was good at a lot of things, lying to himself wasn't one of them.

"She'll stay safe until we figure things out. Someone made a bad play. Now we have to fix it." He eyed the young soldier for a moment seeing something he didn't like in the boy: the stiff posture and dead eyes, it was Jason fifteen years ago just before he walked away from the Quartermaines and before Sonny took him in and simply let him be. Trapped between worlds that demanded something from a person, it eats away at the soul. "What does the police know about what's happening with Lulu."

"Nothing other than Lucky got a call from her and she's safe… for now. Mac is pissed when Mr. Spencer, Lulu's father," he clarified, "refused police protection." He didn't need to go into the choice words that Luke Spencer had used while chewing out the police force for endangering his precious daughter's life or Lucky Spencer's icy cold agreement while glaring at Cooper.

"Keep your ears to the ground, I want anything related to us," Jason got up and head for the door. "And report anything or anyone new that comes up on the radar, something big is coming at us."

"How big?" Cooper asked, assuming that he was still assured of his life for now.

"Big," Jason answered and opened the door, "and telling your friend Logan was a bad idea."

Even knowing that Logan can keep a secret better than anyone he knew, Coop still felt icy fingers of fear crawl up his spine as he assured Jason, "He won't talk."

"He better not," Jason warned then walked out.

It wasn't really a warning, Cooper understood that; it was a promise. If anything happens to those Jason protects, he was going to hold Cooper and Logan responsible… and he would extract his revenge with a pound of flesh… guaranteed.

Putting his fist though a wall, Coop gave himself a moment to feel all the anger, frustration and helpless guilt that came with ever breath he took these days. Taking a breath, than another, he mentally told himself to calm down and deal with it. This wasn't the time for him to lose control.

But first things first, dialing out, he wondered what the reaction would be. "Logan, it's Coop. Call me when you get this. And watch your back, Jason know."

-&-&-&-

The chiming doorbell barely made a dent in the screaming tantrum that Molly was throwing over breakfast and Ric was definitely in no mood to entertain. Mashed bananas were flung all over the dinning room and he groaned to think of the complaints he's going to get from his housekeeper. "Hang on!" he called toward the vicinity of the front door. "Just a minute!" and suddenly found Molly's baby spoon shoved up his nose. "Molly," he reprimanded.

"Now that's a sight I hadn't expected to see. Richie Lancing: the dotting daddy."

Ric turned so fast he almost tripped over his own feet, only the horrible thought of dropping his precious daughter kept him from falling on his butt as he stared in at the woman in the doorway. The voice was the same but the rest of her… What had once been skinny arms and toothpick legs covered by knee length shorts under oversized shapeless tee-shirts that never matched the fraying pair of untied red sneakers was now a curvy body encased in a black dress of designer quality and a pair of "kick-ass" red heels. To say that she had blossomed… well, that was an understatement. "Claudia."

"You remembered," she smiled, her red lips curved dangerously with a smile worthy of a feral cat cornering a mouse. "How sweet…" she glanced at the messy baby in Ric's arm and her smiled turned softer. "And this is…?"

"My daughter Molly, we were just having some breakfast." Ric explained quickly, closing the opened front door. He glanced at the door again. "Um… was that unlocked?"

"I learned a lot in Europe," Claudia replied easily, dropping the lock pick kit into her purse and set it down on the coffee table. "Please," gesturing toward the dinning room, "don't let me interrupt your breakfast."

"Thanks," he smiled and put his sniffling baby back into her highchair. "Well, this is a surprise."

"Really?" she asked, sitting down across from the pair and watched with hawk-like eyes. "You mean your father didn't tell you that I'm back in the states?"

Dropping the bowl and spoon, he startled Molly into tears again. Only partially distracted, he stared at the calm, curious woman across from him. "What? What did you say?"

Claudia's hard eyes softened for a moment for the boy she had once known in this man, the one that she had shared her first kiss with, the one she ran to when things got rough at her house. Despite the physical change, she could see the boy that he was still in his eyes. "I take it your relationship with your father improved over the years as much as mine has with my own dear old dad."

"Probably less so," Ric answered with some sense of control. "I haven't spoke to that man in almost twelve years."

"Um…" she kicked her shoes off and lifted her feet onto the next chair. "So you got four more years of alternating being screamed at and ignored, huh?"

"Pretty much sums it up."

"Why did hell did you wait that long to leave?" Claudia asked as she reached across the picked up a stuff purple elephant. It was a cute little thing, she remember giving Johnny one similar as a baby.

"Not really much of a choice on my part," Ric answered and spooned more bananas into Molly's resisting mouth. "Come on, honey…"

"Where's her mom?" Claudia asked. Women didn't like her with good reason. She didn't usually care but Ric was a friend. She came around the table when Molly flung her breakfast at her father again. "Is your wife going to mind me being here?"

"We're divorced," Ric replied calmly, evenly and then allowed Claudia to take the bowl and spoon from him. "Be careful, she likes to throw food."

"I can see that. But I'm use to having much more dangerous things thrown at me," she laughed and spooned bananas up. "Open up that hanger baby, here comes the mighty B56 coming in for a perfect landing!" she whirled the spoon high above a fascinated Molly's head and then brought it down into her open mouth. "Yummy?"

Molly spat it out, narrowing missing Claudia's dress.

Frowning, Claudia sniffed the banana and made a face. "What the hell did you put in this thing?" then tasted it with her pinky. "Blah… no wonder she won't eat it."

"Banana and oatmeal. Isn't that what you're suppose feed a baby?"

"Not together," she made a face at him then turned and shook her head in sympathy at the curious wide-eyed Molly. "You poor baby…"

"All right, all right…" Ric groused, "I'm still new at this."

"You're still an guy," Claudia said with a laugh, one that reminded Ric of a funny little girl with pigtails and a shy smile, before being a Zacchara got to her. "Come on," she motioned her head toward the kitchen. "I'll make her something."

"You can make baby food?" Ric asked in disbelief.

"Couple of Uncle Rudy's guys got their jaws broken once," she gave him a look asking him not to ask too much over the 'how' part, "Only way to handle it is to basically wired their jaws shut. It was baby food for them for six weeks. I learned all kinds of tricks."

"Um… Family business huh?"

"You should talk," she found more bananas in the fruit basket, "Lawyer?"

"At his own game," he countered. "What's your excuse?"

"I have Johnny to consider," Claudia explained.

"Ahh…"

She gave him a glare worthy of the woman that she's become.

"Johnny," he repeated with a knowing nod as he shifted Molly in his arms. "And how is little brother?"

"Trapped in _that_ house between my father and yours? How do you think he is?" She smashed the bananas with a spoon, using more force than necessary. The most recent reports she'd gotten wasn't promising in the least. "Actually, it's part of the reason I'm here."

"I figured you didn't just happen to be in town." He didn't hold it against her, not with everything she'd had to go through in life. He should know, he was there witnessing it first hand for a good many years. "What's up?"

She searched the cupboards a bit. "I haven't seen my father yet though I planned on it once I'm ready. Your dad on the other hand…"

"And how is he?" because he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"His usual charming self," she said with candor, "But you know how he feels about me…"

"Be careful Claud," he said seriously as she brought over mashed bananas. "From what I hear, my father isn't just a mouthpiece for Anthony Zacchara anymore. He holds a considerable amount of power now… more than he did all those ears ago."

"And what have you been hearing?" she asked as she spooned banana, water and cinnamon into Molly's open mouth.

"Too much and not enough," he was willing to share with Claudia… provided that she did the same. "I'm not in that business, I don't want to be. I've got Molly to think about."

She understood it well. "You and Molly aren't part of this. I promise."

And with Claudia, her word is her bond… as it has always been. Ric motioned toward the dinning room again. "There's been rumbling about the Zaccharas wanting to expand outside of New York. They've moved further north recently, controlling some of the sea ports over and across the harbor. Port Charles would be an excellent addition to that expansion."

"You think my father is wanting to move into the Corinthos' territory?"

It didn't surprise him that she knew about Sonny; the Claudia he remember was good with details: she had many escape plans made up ready for when she was eighteen and can take her brother away. "I think _my_ father wants to move in on Sonny Corinthos' territory." He gave her a look of warning… warning for _her_ safety. "Did I mention that Sonny Corinthos and I share the same mother?"

Her eyes went big. "You're kidding."

"Nope," he gave her a shrug and watched his daughter open her mouth for more food. "Hey, she's eating that."

"That's because this is good verse that sloop you were trying to give her," she spooned another bite into Molly's mouth while avoiding her reaching hands. "Is that why you're here now? In Port Charles?"

"Partly," Ric answered. "Sonny and I don't get along for most parts but… we have an uneasy truce between us right now. For the kids' sake. My father and Sonny on the other hand…"

"Oil and water?"

"Try fire and napalm. They _hate_ each other."

"Really…." She tilted her head, amused by this wealth of information.

Ric watched her, his own eyes careful in picking up on the subtle details and the change in her. "Claudia…"

She made a face. There were few people in the world she counted as friends, and of those few she did she was careful to take care of them. "I know, I know, he's your brother and I shouldn't…"

"That's not what I was going to say," he interrupted carefully. "Sonny and I have a very contentious relationship; we've agreed to stay out of each other's businesses. And Sonny's made his choice in life, and what he does isn't exactly a 9-to-5 kind of desk job; he knows the risks. I'm just asking that…" he shifted Molly in his arms, holding her a little closer. "Sonny's got three kids and…" he looked at Molly with her bright curls and her mother's inquisitive eyes, "And he's got two exes that have worked very hard to keep those kids out of harm's way. Can you just _try_ to keep them out of it? I'm just asking you to try."

Claudia's face softened as she looked at the little angel in Ric's arms and knew exactly what he was talking about. "I don't ever bring bystanders into this business if I can help it; kids especially. I don't plan on starting now."

He nodded slowly, glad to hear it. "Now…" getting down to the business at hand. Claudia didn't come here just to chit-chat and play catch up. "What's on the agenda?"

_To be continued…_


	22. First Shot

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Enrico receives a warning, Claudia makes her first move, Lucky falls back on an old habit and Luke plays a dangerous game.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order, donut shaped and sugar glazed. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help… or a nice visit to Shadybrook.

**Author's Note**: YES, YES, YES!!! A Luke and Laura reunion!!! About freaking time!!! That is all.

Sorry guys, it's going to be short one. I'm kind of just tossing pieces of stories into the air and seeing how they fall. Not sure where this is headed to.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 22 – First Shot**

*****************************

The east side warehouse in the heart of New York was a place that the Zacchara crew openly hide what they knew people didn't want to see. It was a business, a not so nice business but a business nevertheless. And in business, everything had a price: including people. But some things cannot be bought with money… nor should it; and more should be expected from it. And there were a lot of people on the Zacchara crew that had no business being there… because they're loyalty belonged to another.

It was an open secret that men in _this_ business put their lives on the line for the kind of money they make and the power and influence those they are loyal to wield. But to put the label of Zacchara on people that weren't loyal to Zaccharas… well, that was simply not to be. Disloyalty must never be tolerated.

It was rather unfortunate that those in the warehouse didn't know that yet.

At four thirty-two, Eastern standard time, that disloyalty ended with a bang.

-&-&-&-

"You sure this stuff will work?" Luke shook the little veils in his hand and made a face.

"Of course. Have I ever let you down buddy?"

"Robert Scorpio, do you really want me to answer that?"

Robert made a face and nodded his head. "Okay so there were a few incidences in the distant past…"

"And the not so distant past," Luke added.

"But this will work," Robert continued with assurance. "And you can thank me later."

"Why are you helping me again?" Luke asked, his eye still on the funky green and yellow tubes in his hand.

"Because I have a daughter of my own," Robert answered with all seriousness, "and I happen to be very fond of Lulu and her mother. I know what this business is like and for her to be caught up in it…" he wasn't around during the years that Robin had been dating Jason Morgan… and his heart was probably better off for it. "Just be careful all right?"

"I'm always careful where Lulu is concerned. That's why I called you."

Nodding his head and heading out, "Let me know the outcome of what happens. You know how to reach me if you need anything."

"Tell Anna thanks."

"Anna doesn't know." Luke turned and looked at Robert who gave him a look. "And we're going to keep it that way."

"Just how illegal is this stuff?"

"Very. Enough said."

Luke smirked. "Cool."

-&-&-&-

Enrico's hand tensed by his side and he footsteps slowly to a crawl as he turned the corner. His instincts told him to reach for his piece but he made himself stop midway to his shoulder holster. There were too many people on the street, a shoot out now would cause a great deal more trouble than necessary. That is not to say that he wouldn't defend himself if attacked. But Lorenzo would not be happy if he were to cause a 'scene.'

"Mr. Rodriguez," was the greeting that slide over Enrico like oil on the back of a baby seal. "At last we meet."

Turning slow, his eyes darting around the street to make sure the ambush wasn't going to kill him, Enrico looked the well dressed man over with a careful eye. Late fifties to early sixties, eyes sharper than a switch blade and a smile that was meant to charm. The salt and pepper hair lent a kind of respect that he wasn't sure was deserved nor wanted but the eyes… This was not a man to be crossed. He reminded Enrico too much of his own father, even without any physical resemblance: and that was never a good thing. "Should I know you, Señor?"

"I think you definitely should know me," he held out a well manicured hand, one that spoke of a life of ease in the sense that it has never had to fire a weapon before. "I'm Trevor Lancing, I'm here on behalf of Anthony Zacchara with a proposition for you."

With eyes that narrowed dangerously and a mind that twisted in a couple of different directions, Enrico took an menacing step closer to Trevor Lancing. There was very little doubt of his intentions, "Save your breath, Señor. You have nothing to say to me that I want to hear. I am Alcazar's man. Nothing will change that."

"Your father was a very shrew businessman, Mr. Rodriguez," Lancing commented as he smiled, his amusement dancing upon a razor's edge. "He helped to build and crush empires greater than Alcazar's domain."

"Did he?" Enrico raised a brow in a perfect display of arrogance most becoming of his handsome face. "And how would Señor know such things?"

"Your father and I were… acquaintances. We did some business together."

And that would be one of the reasons Enrico would never, ever allow this man into his life. His father was no good. And his father's friends were worse. And his father's business associates… well, they were not people Enrico would want to be around. "Señor…" it was on the tip of his tongue to tell this Trevor Lancing where he could shove his 'proposition,' but good breeding and years of walking in the shadows stilled his tongue. _"Never make an enemy you don't have to,"_ Alcazar had once told them. With a smile that was charming and a nod of careful negligence, "Good day, Señor," he turned and started to walk away.

"You really ought to hear what my employer has to offer. We can guarantee it will be worth your time."

"No. I do not think so," and continued to walk.

"How is your brother, Mr. Rodriguez?" Lancing threw out causally. "I believe the detective recently picked up a new case on the upper east side. Very dangerous, that part of town."

The blood in Enrico's system ran cold and he turned just in time to see Lancing walk away, a nasty smile dancing across his face. Enrico didn't bother to follow, it would be a pointless exercise. The message was very clear. And for the first time in years, Enrico was afraid for what's to come.

-&-&-&-

The razor sharp blade danced from one hand to another and back again in a quick careless motion. Claudia had long since lost the fear of sharp edges. Once you've been knifed once or twice, you learn to either control the pain and fear or you give into it and end up dead. She wasn't going to let something like a stupid knife cower her. She's got other things to worry about.

"It's been done."

She smiled and nodded her head. While her moral standards aren't high, given her line of work and the people she deals with, even she drew the line at traitors. "Tell me something Randy, how long have you been with me?"

"About six years now?" answered the long haired, clean cut Italian. He smiled with that gentle placating way he had. Randy was a deceptively gentle man. In a world where guys with his looks was treated like rockstars, he'd learned long ago that people wore two faces and you can't always trust the one they show. That's why he liked Claudia: she was the kind of no-nonsense, straight-talking girl that he can appreciate. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd probably make him an eunuch if he tried anything with her, she would be his ideal woman. "Why? You going to give me a raise?"

"I pay you plenty," she reminded him with a smile, "and then some."

Randy didn't need to be reminded that Claudia saved his life more than once and then gave him a purpose to go on with life after everyone else turned their backs on him. "What's going on?"

"My father is about to get word that some of his men took a powder, permanently," she murmured thoughtfully, "only he's not going to know why. The reasoning behind it isn't going to be nearly as important as who he thinks is involved. If I went with my first instinct, I'd pin it on Corinthos and let it ride out. But…"

"But?" Randy frowned. It wasn't like Claudia to hesitate. "Is there something I should know?"

"A wrinkle in the game plan. Corinthos turns out to be connected to a friend… an old friend that I would prefer not to bring into this game. And though he didn't specifically say that he didn't want me touching Corinthos… well, I rather not mess it up for him." Family meant something to Claudia; the family members that matter that is. And though Ric didn't say it, she could see it in his eyes: Sonny Corinthos means _something_ and he still wanted a chance to find out what that something is.

"So…"

"Let's leave things the way they are now," she tossed the beautifully curved knife into the air, watched as it arched and caught the light from the sun through the window, and came down neatly into her palm again handle first. "I want to see what my father's next move is and how he is going to interpret this. More importantly, I want to know how Lancing reacts."

"He'll know it's you," Randy pointed out with a frown. He'd met Claudia after the whole Trevor Lancing phase of her life… but has deduced enough to know that the man was _bad_ news. "You all but left your calling card."

"I don't think Trevor keeps that close of an eye on me… at least not what I was doing in Europe all these years. Way too cocky of him. He doesn't consider me a real threat yet."

"He can easily dig it up. And he will."

"Let him," she grinned and cross her long legs. "It'll keep him occupied and out of Johnny's hair. My baby brother is up to something… something that's not business related, I'd like to give him some room to run with it if I can." She didn't have to be his sister to see that Johnny's got his eye on someone. She can only hope the girl is worth the effort. "Keep digging into Trevor's finances, I want to know what he's been doing with all that money he's been squirreling away. A good chunk of my father's fortune is missing, I want to know where they're turning up. Everything looks good on paper but I want to know where it's all been funneled to. Get me the end users."

Randy nodded his head, watching the light in her eyes. This was the Claudia he knew and understood. "I'll see what I can pull from the system. I'll need a few days."

"Take all the time you need, I want it all. He's been pulling everyone's strings for years now. And with Johnny now coming of age and starting to question things, he'll pulling that 'I'm just trying to protect you' crap on Johnny the same way he did with my father all those years ago. But Johnny is smarter than my father… and a whole lot more clear minded and stable. I want enough evidence to know what he's doing so I can bury that son of a bitch with it."

"You seem to be taking this personally, Claud. It's definitely unlike you."

"No darling, this is me. This is the me you're going to see while we're here; get use to it. When it comes to Johnny, I'd take on the devil himself."

"I thought you said the devil was your father."

"He is," she glanced at the blade absentmindedly again. "But he is _my_ father. Trevor shouldn't underestimate me. It'll be the last mistake he makes."

-&-&-&-

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"You _really_ need to stop yammering."

"Yammering?"

Lucky turned and glanced at his brother curiously. "Don't they teach you guys _anything_ in those fancy boarding schools of yours?"

Nikolas glared sternly. "They teach us how to survive in the shark infested waters of upper crest society. Hacking into financial databases isn't one of those skills."

"Yeah, yeah… they probably teach you to hire someone like me for this kind of thing, huh?" Lucky snickered as his fingers flew across the keyboard. He was watching the flickering pages dance across the computer screen with the keen eagle eyes of Luke Spencer's son. "Let me give you a sage advice. If you don't want to get caught, do it yourself."

"Sage advise from Luke?"

"From mom actually, she was good about covering our tracks when her and dad were on the run. Loyalty is one thing, honesty is another… sometimes the two don't mix so she learned to stay loyal and out of jail," he grinned and continued to work his way through layer upon layers of encryption. "Where's Em?"

"Out shopping with her mom, it's actually just an excuse to ask her mom some questions for her next test," Nikolas answered with a sigh. He had a rather nasty suspicion that Emily would want to help if she knew what Lucky was up to; and as her boyfriend, it was his job to protect her against committing any crimes that might endanger her good name. "Let's not let her find out about this, okay?" he asked nicely then went to he side board for coffee. He did not want to watch his brother break all sorts of federal and possibly international laws. "Why are you doing this again? And why at my house?"

"Because someone hacked into my records, some of your records, Lulu's records, Dad's records and even mom's institutionalization records," Lucky's hand kept moving. "I don't like people poking around my stuff. My dad _really_ don't like people looking into our family affairs. With someone gunning for Lulu, we're not letting anything slipped between the cracks, not this time. As for _why_ I'm here…" he came to a stopping point and waited for the encoding program to do its job, "Liz is at the house and would probably freak out if she found out what I was doing. And you've got a nicer computer and faster connection. This seem like the ideal place to go for this kind of thing."

"Lucky, you do realize that what you're doing is against all sorts of laws. You'll be kicked off the police force and possibly do jail time if you get caught."

"So I going to make sure that I don't get caught."

"You're awfully confident," Nikolas muttered then came over anyways. If they were going to die, they might as well die together. They are family after all. "How's Liz?"

"Better," was the only answer. He didn't want to go into the details over his recent reconciliation with Liz; at least not yet, not even with his brother. He'd actually like to keep it to himself for a little while longer. Everyone knew that he had moved back into the Spencer family home to help with Liz's recuperation but no one knew they were back in the same bed again.

Sensing a hesitation, Nikolas let it drop. "So who's been looking at Lulu's records?"

"Not sure yet."

"Why didn't you ask that strange kid that Lulu hangs out with to help? He probably owes Lulu a few favors by now. Doesn't hurt that he's in love with our baby sister."

"I don't want him looking at _our_ records," he gave Nikolas a look that said it all. Neither have them could say that they were boy scouts in their youth… or now. There were certain things that Lucky and Nikolas would both like to keep burned in the past. And then there are some financial stuff that they probably would not like being brought to the light of day. Neither the Cassadines nor the Spencers have clean records in that arena and Spinelli was good enough of a hacker to dig too deeply.

"Is this what you and your dad do all the time?" Nikolas wanted to know.

"When we want to find things out, yeah. Old habits die hard," he shrugged and continued to type. He was glad that his father had insisted that he kept to date with the current ever changing technology. "It's faster than the red tape."

"I have to question someone that works _within_ the judicial system and yet has no confidence in it."

"Seriously Nik, do you? I mean, given the number of times you've either broken the law, watch your family break the law or have been mistaken for… how many crimes now?"

Nikolas considered this seriously for a moment. "Point taken."

"Besides, it's not that I have no confidence in the judicial system," Lucky shrugged, "I just don't want to take any chances where my family is considered."

"You really are your father's son, aren't you?"

Lucky knew that his brother meant it as a reluctant compliment and not as an insult. "I'd say 'right back at you' but I don't think it'd be appreciated." Luke Spencer evoked a great many reactions from people, grudging respect being one of the more prominent one. Nik has learned that Luke may chafe under authority but he was a good man beneath all of that arrogance. Luke may not operate under the normal set of rules but the man had a code that is unbreakable and when pushed came to shove, he always does right by his own… unlike Nikolas' own illustrious father.

"Don't let the commissioner find out about this."

"Do I look stupid?" Lucky asked.

"Are you hacking into a federally protected website?"

"Yeah."

"Then the answer is 'yes,'" Nik patted his brother's back. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone know that you slipped back into the other side of the system again. Now find out who's got it in for our sister."

-&-&-&-

"I hope you don't mind, but I ordered coffee already."

"Not at all, Mr. Spencer," Trevor Lancing lowered his bulk into the chair across from the casually dressed Luke Spencer. Compared to the three-piece gray pin-shirt suit he was wearing, Luke looked as if he was on the way to a bike rally. "Dark roast?"

"Espresso bean on drip," Luke explained and sipped his own steaming cup carefully. "People think there's more caffeine in espresso beans but that's actually not true. It's the pressurized espresso method of producing coffee and condenses the amount of caffeine that's actually in there. Personally I prefer to use espresso beans in everything."

"I own a very nice coffee plantation in the southern coast of Costa Rica. I'll make sure they deliver some to you, Mr. Spencer. I think you'll find that…"

"We're not actually going to sit here and talk about coffee are we, Mr. Lancing?" Luke made an unpleasant face and glared across the table. He had meant to start with small talk, which the other man seemed more than willing to comply with, but found that he didn't have the stomach for such nonsense. "Let's get down to business."

"A man of purpose, I liked that," Trevor took a careful sip of the strong coffee and found it had a rather unpleasant aroma to it. "Flavored?" It had been a surprised. Travor had not pegged Luke Spencer as a flavor coffee drinker… black and sugarless would have been his guess.

"I thought we weren't going to talk coffee," Luke grounded out with irritation. "What do you want, Lancing?"

"I've come to offer a very lucrative proposition for you, Mr. Spencer. One that I believe you will find to be rather intriguing if I do say so myself," Trevor smiled wolfishly and pulled from his pocket a fat envelope and slide it across the table. "You are a well informed man in these parts I hear. My employer is willing to pay a very pretty penny for information."

Eyeing the wad of cash thrown at him, Luke went against his natural instinct to reach for money and looked at Lancing. "And you're employer would be…"

"Mr. Anthony Zacchara."

That was more than enough to decide the outcome of this little match of wits. But Luke was nothing if not a master at this game. Keeping his hands on the table and carefully loose around his coffee cup instead of tightly wrapped around Lancing's throat, he smiled and asked, "And exactly what kind of information does Mr. Zacchara plan on buying from me?"

"Just some tid bits about your former night club partner, Michael Corihthos Jr."

_"Oh, so that's it? That's what this is all about,"_ Luke wanted to throw up with disgust. He should have known that it had to do with mob business. Despite his having stepped away from all that years ago for his Laura, it still haunts him. Luke would have thrown the coffee _and_ money back in Lancing's face but he still had Lulu to worry about and a stomach full of angry to dispel. "And that would entail what exactly?"

"Mr. Corinthos owns quite a few properties in these parts I understand."

"Understand," Luke repeated with a roll of his eyes. "We're both businessmen, Mr. Lancing. Let's not beat around the bush and play these kid's games. You and I both know that Sonny is kingpin around here. Nothing goes without his knowledge because he controls the waterfront and half the major districts around here with an iron fist known as Jason Morgan." It was common knowledge around these parts that Jason wasn't just Sonny's partner… he was the enforcer. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Trevor said, dropping all acts of niceness. It was obviously wasted and he was more than eager to do actual business. "I want to know everything there is to know about Corinthos and how he handles his business around here. I want his weaknesses, I want to know who I can approach in his organization and I want to know how much of it is up for grabs."

There was something about the way he moved that made Luke pay more attention: the tilt of his head, the smirk on his lips, the slight manic look in his eyes. First he thought it was just a coincidence but now…. Now Luke was willing to hazard a guess. "What? You saying that Ric hasn't told you already?" For a moment, he was convinced the man was going to have a heart attacked right there and then. The ash gray color of his pallor was quite terrible to witness… though Luke did get some perverse pleasure in seeing it. "Ahhh… so you do know our esteemed D.A. then. I was wondering…"

"Richie… Richard is here." Those cold, cold eyes were wide with shock. "In Port Charles."

"Surprised?" now Luke was just enjoying himself. And he hadn't even gotten to point where he told Trevor Lancing that he had just drank the first half of a two-part poison. Maybe he wasn't going to need it after all. _"Well, well… this is going to be fun, isn't it?"_

_To be continued…_

**2****nd**** Author's Note:** This story has literally taken a turn for the unexpected. It was never suppose to be this long… or this complicated.


	23. Ladies First

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Maxie settles a score, Liz makes a surprising request, Claudia offers an alliance, Lulu surprises someone and Carly is caught in an ambush.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order: donut shaped and sugar glazed though with a few colorful sprinkles on top. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help… or a nice visit to Shadybrook?

**Author's Note**: Who loves Luke and Laura? ME! ME! ME! Seriously, why don't they just hire Genie Francis back? (Way too short of a stunt. And how delicious was the Laura/Tracy scenes?) She's awesome and every time she has a scene with any of her kids, it just makes GH _that_ much more watch-able. We should kill off all the useless characters, like Sonny, Kate and Olivia. (Yawn!) And now that Laura is no longer catatonic, there could be loads of possibilities of visits and drama! Can you tell I'm excited?

Also, holiday seasons make writing difficult. The next update probably won't be until late January or early February. (There's like two other stories still needing updates.) Sorry guys.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 23 – Ladies First**

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The dress was tight and the wine in her hand expensive, she had even taken the trouble to pluck her brows (a task she hated with a passion). She didn't really consider the consequences of what she's doing at the moment, only that she was sick of just sitting around waiting.... No one makes Maxie Jones wait.

The greeting she got was a terse, "What do you want?" but that's what she had been expecting. After all, Logan Hayes has never ever made it a secret that he considered her trash and not nearly good enough for his sainted army buddy. _"Oh Logan, if you only knew the truth about Coop."_

She smiled brightly and pushed her way pass him into the surprisingly clean apartment. "I thought you would be willing to help me celebrate my independence day."

"Independence day," Logan repeated with equal parts curiosity and scorn. He was never one to find amusement in the dramatic of women. "Do I even want to know?"

"I'm a free woman," Maxie announced opening and with a great deal more enthusiasm than needed for her own peace of mind. "Where's your bottle opener?"

Sighing with resignation, Logan shut the door with his foot and went back to the book on the coffee table while Maxie searched his kitchen. "Why the hell are you here? And what's this little game you're… Oh… Did Coop finally wise up and dump you?"

"Dump me?" she scoffed as she finally located the cork screw. "No one dumps Maxie Jones," she declared proudly and pulled the cork out with a responding POP! "I hope you like red wine."

"I don't," Logan answered rolling his eyes.

"Let me guess," Maxie continued as she looked for glasses but gave up pretty quickly figuring that he probably wasn't refined enough to have actual wine glasses just lying around the house, "You're one of those beer drinkers that take everything with salted nuts."

"Don't forget the fried pork skins," he replied sarcastically and decided that ignoring her would probably make her go away faster.

"Do people actually eat that stuff?" settling on mugs that didn't look too badly chipped.

"Not everyone lives in that fairytale land that you imagine yourself in."

"Well they certainly should," she answered and handed him a mug, clinking it with her own in a grand fashion. "To freedom!"

He stared at her with some amazement. "You do realize that that's the kind of bull that they feed us in the army right? The kind of imagined thing that they tell us so that we keep putting our asses on the line for people like you that don't really have any idea of what reality actually is."

"Why are you raining on my parade?" she asked as she swallowed the sweet wine, letting it warm her to her toes. "Can't you just drink the wine and let me celebrate?"

"I didn't exactly invite you in to celebrate anything. You barged in here on your own."

"Like you were surprised that I would do something like that?" she said smugly. "You and I are alike, you know. We do what we want and screw anyone that doesn't approve. We don't conform to society and we don't care."

"Stop lumping us together. I'm not you."

"But you're like me," she replied and poured more wine. "You and I are alike."

Logan rolled his eyes and wondered how much longer he was going to have to put up with her idiotic fantasies. But if he's guess is correct, Coop and Maxie were finished… which puts Cooper in danger of being exposed by the conniving little blonde. Georgie Jones was one matter, that girl will probably at least give Coop a chance to redeem himself; especially if Georgie thinks that no good will come of her exposing Cooper. But Maxie was vindictive enough to do it out of vengeance, despite her own part in the whole affair. Of course, her father is the police chief, why would she worry?

"You're not drinking," she pointed out, her little blue eyes going to the mug in his still hands.

"You want to tell me why you're really here?" Logan asked, downing the ultra sweet wine in one swallow… then coughed frantically when it burned on it's way down to his stomach. "Oh my god…" he gasped.

"Too strong for you?" she teased.

"What the hell is this sh…"

"Good stuff," she patted him uselessly on the arm and smiled sweetly. "Don't waste it by coughing it up."

"Cut the crap, Maxie," he advised and placed the cup down on his slightly scratched coffee table. (He meant to sand that out.) "What the hell do you…" the rest of the irritated question was cut off by the sudden and unavoidable lips of the girl that had expectedly launched into his lap. For a kiss, it wasn't bad; for revenge, it was low… and predictable. It's not to say that Logan didn't take a moment to enjoy himself. He was a guy after all and it's been _way_ too long since he's had anyone. (He didn't count the thirty second flirtation with Lulu Spencer or his regular banter with Georgie Jones at the diner.)

Setting her aside, he got up and put the sofa and armchair between him and temptation. He fully acknowledged that fact that Maxie Jones was one hell of a temptation on the best of days. And damn it, he was a young and healthy hot blooded male. Who the hell wouldn't be tempted? "Whatever it is that you're up to, count me out. He is a friend; and I don't do that to friends."

"Oh… loyalty. Won't have expected that."

"Not everyone is like you."

"Relax Logan," she poured more wine into her own cup. "I'm not dating Cooper anymore and it's not like he would care either way. All he has on his mind right now is his precious Lulu Spencer." She smiled, that daring, cunning smile that got her what she wanted with the men in her life. "Come on, Logan. You know what I'm saying is true. You must have seen it yourself."

Though he would never verbally confirm it, Logan was thinking the same thing. The way Cooper looked at Lulu had nothing to do with duty or fear for his own life. His buddy has got it bad… bad enough that he's willing to risk exposure of his connection to that damn Metro Court incident. And Maxie Jones holds a card that could hurt Coop… which means Maxie has to be kept quiet… and happy.

Maxie must have seen the shift in Logan's eyes. If there was one thing she knew in life it was how to read a man. Without a word – because words would be useless at this point – she got up and approached him. He didn't back away… but he didn't step forward either, he was willing to accept but won't help her. That was all right. She didn't need him to. She was more than capable of taking the initiative.

-&-&-&-

The teakettle was whistling – rather insistently.

Waiting for about a minute, Liz finally decided to get up to investigate; she did not want the house to burn down. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her feet almost touched the floor when a loud demand floated up to her from below, "You better still be in bed!"

Suppressing a giggle of surprise, Liz swung her legs back up just as the teakettle finally became silent. Tucking herself carefully back in the warm nest in the middle of the comforter that Lucky had arranged around her before he got up that morning, she patiently waited to see what Lucky was planning to do next. The gentle paddling for small hands and feet scrambling on all fours gave her a minor clue.

Cameron came into the room in his usual full-speed-ahead manner and threw himself against the side of the bed then bounced off and landed on his little bottom with a thump. Liz assumed that he meant to jump _onto_ the bed but missed. Undeterred, he scrambled up again and made another attempt. This time, he got half his body onto the soft mattress and managed to haul himself up the rest of the way. "Seriously Cam," Lucky said following the boy, "We need to work on your jumps. How are you ever going to make it into the NBA's if you don't learn to jump properly?"

"NBA?" Liz asked as she pulled her little man up against her side. "Since when?"

"Since he found my old basketball out back," Lucky shook his head and carefully placed the breakfast tray across Liz's lap, careful of Cameron's little hands and legs. "Just be glad that he didn't find my old guitar. You'd get plenty of rest _then_."

"I liked your guitar," Liz said taking a sip of the scolding hot tea.

"That's because you weren't around when I was just starting to learn it. Let me tell you, that was not a quiet time in my family's history."

"When has there been a quiet time in your family's history?" Liz wanted to know.

Not having ever really thought about it, Lucky paused to munch on buttered toast and thought it over carefully. "Strange as this may sound, I think it might have been those first few years when it was just me, mom and dad on the run. Those were kind of quiet times – relatively speaking that is."

"That's… very disturbing," Liz admitted with a grin as she made a face and spread more jam on the toast. Lucky had burned it again but she wasn't about to complain. "I was thinking about having Emily and Nikolas over for dinner one night, just the four… five of us. Six?" She made a face. "I haven't seen Spencer in a while."

"Nikolas is playing it close to the vest and keeping Spencer under lock and key. God knows when Helena might rear her ugly head again. He _does not_ want a replay of what happened last year."

Liz shuddered to think of the dangers to that child. The kind of danger that her own child might have faced if he had lived. Perhaps this was god's way of protecting her baby… by taking it back into the safety of the heavens.

"What is it?" Lucky asked, though it was a rhetorical question. His trained eyes had already taken in the sadness that haloed around her. It didn't take a detective to know what had brought Liz's spirits down.

Shaking away that thought, she reached out and smoothed Cameron's baby fine hair curls down. For a moment, she forgot that Cameron wasn't biologically Lucky's child; that shock of curls could have easily been from Luke. How lovely it would be if… if… She sighed. So many if's in her life.

"Whatever it is, I'm here and everything will be fine." Lucky gave Cameron another piece of toast while helping his squirming son climb into his lap. The boy had taken to tagging along with everything Lucky did lately, as if afraid to allow his father out of his sight. Lucky indulgently allowed Cameron to climb all over him with sticky fingers.

Watching them with eyes that revealed her love for them both, Liz reached over the tray and caught her husband's attention. (Which reminded her to talk to Lucky about canceling their divorce; assuming he hadn't done so already. But she wasn't going to take anything for granted at this point.) "Lucky, I think we should formalize this."

"What?" confused by the tangent.

"You and Cam. I think we should make it formal."

"Formal?" still not quite following as he was distracted by Cameron sticking his toast into Lucky's mouth.

"I want you to adopt Cameron." That got Lucky's attention real fast. "I want to make it legal: you are Cameron's father." She set aside the tray and got next to Lucky. "He is your son, he is _our_ son; it's time that we have documentation to reflect that. And when that's all squared away, I want to give you another child, one that has Spencer blood running through his veins."

"His veins?" Stunned speechless for a moment, he curiously asked, "What is it's a girl?"

"No, it'll be a boy," she said quite confidently.

"How come?" he inquired simply because he was still trying to process the fact that they were going to make it legal. Cameron was his son in all the ways that count but now… now he was going to be his father in the eyes of the law.

"Because I know it will be," she smiled and leaned her head against Lucky's shoulder. This was what home felt like.

-&-&-&-

He felt the presence a moment before a delicate clearing of the throat can be heard. "Can I help you?"

"I thought introductions would be prudent," was the softly spoken response with a smoky voice.

"You should have simply rang the doorbell."

"Maybe but then I wouldn't be guarantee a meeting."

He turned and took in her appearance. "I don't usually turn away beautiful women."

"There's a first time for everything," she replied and sat down carefully with her back to the wall and cross her long legs in smooth and steady motion. "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Claudia. Claudia Zacchara."

There was a short and tense silence. "I assume you know who I am if you're here."

She smile, a feline kind of smile that showed all teeth and no pity. "I'm well aware of you, Mr. Alcazar. You run quite the empire across most of South America. I'm very impressed."

"Thank you," Lorenzo replied rather politely. "May I ask how you managed to circumvent my security?"

"Charm, skill and a pair of wire cutter," she replied and glanced around the finely decorated room. She recognized some of the designers by sight. Discreet, refined, classy and touched with feminine delicacies… not exactly what she would have expected. "Wasn't easy if it's any consolation."

He acknowledged it with a quick nod and a mental note to himself to speak with Enrico. "I assume you are not here merely to have tea."

"I don't drink tea," she replied with a smile. "And no, I'm not here to do the polite thing. I'm not here to kill you either if that's what you're thinking."

"Then why are you here?" appreciating the straight forth manner she was displaying.

"We have a mutual enemy."

"Corinthos and I have a truce."

Claudia smiled. "I'm not talking about Michael Corinthos Jr."

He raised a dark brow.

"I'm talking about Trevor Lancing and my father," she said candidly.

"Your father…"

"Yes," she got up and poured herself three fingers of scotch from his wet bar. "He's dangerous. But then, I'm sure you know that already. His insanity is only matched by his cruelty and his utter lack of humanity. If he starts a territorial war in this area, _no one_ is safe."

Since Lorenzo has already been well informed of Zacchara's more nefarious activities, he was intrigued by the daughter's obvious interest in this matter. "And you are here because…"

"I'm here to keep a peace that I don't think is going to happen unless something is done about Trevor Lancing."

"Lancing," he repeated to himself. Why did always have to be a Lancing?

"If you thought Ric was bad, Trevor makes his son look like a boy scout in comparison."

"Father and son, huh?"

"With no love lost," she added just to make sure he understood that Ric was not to be a part of this. "I'll bet that Ric would be more than helpful if we were find something on his father."

Lorenzo had no intentions of ever going into business with Ric Lancing ever again. But that was no reason not to hear Ms. Zacchara out. "We?"

"I'm proposing an alliance," she stated very simply. "War is coming, Mr. Alcazar; I do not want innocent people being caught in the middle of it."

Considering this for a moment, "Who are you protecting?"

"Loved one, like you," Claudia replied as she reached over and plucked a photo from her purse. "I hear Argentina is quite beautiful this time of year," dropping the photo on the coffee table before him, "And she's quite a lovely child."

The blood in Lorenzo's veins ran cold.

"If I can find them, you can be damn sure that Trevor and my father can too. He's not above it, Mr. Alcazar, I guarantee you of that."

"I don't doubt you," he muttered and picked up the phone. _("It's me. Pack up Argentina and move them,")_ he hung up and turned to stare at the pretty young woman with the cold, cold eyes. She didn't weaver in the stare down. She was deadly serious. Which means she was an asset he could use. "I'm listening."

-&-&-&-

The text message had said: _"Meet me. South side of town. 3 miles east of train station. Abandoned boxcar."_

It was reckless. It was stupid. It could definitely be a trap. And then everything will go to hell… _"Screw it!" _Johnny gunned his engine and ripped up the unpaved road.

It's been nine days and fifteen hours since he's last saw Lulu as she was being escorted out the door of that dinky motel room they had been holed up at by that pair of apes and the robot enforcer. For someone he's only known for less then 72 hours, she had managed to stay pretty constantly at his forethoughts for the past week, distracting him from several other matters he should be paying more attention to now. But she was there, like a quick sparkle of life within the darkness. It was bittersweet, those memories; it served as an exotic taste of something better than what he had – made him ached to have more.

Slowing down, he approached with caution, getting as close to the location as possible before abandoning his car and tracking through the overgrown weeds by foot. He hesitated for half a second before reaching for his weapon – better safe then sorry – then rounded the abandoned boxcar slowly, his ears straining for any tale-tell signs of an ambush.

"You can put that away," Lulu advised with and quick shake of her head. "And FYI, I don't like guns."

"It's a necessity in life… my life," he corrected before tucking it away. If she didn't like guns, he wasn't going to flash it around in her face. "What's up? What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I needed some air," she shrugged and moved aside for him to sit. "Staying in one place isn't exactly my idea of fun and since I've been _so_ good all week, I thought I'd let myself have a day off."

He glanced around the place. From everything he's been informed of, and he's been well informed, Jason Morgan isn't a careless man. "Where are your guards?"

"Ditched them at the house," she told him with a grin. It hadn't been easy but she did it. "Now's a good time for you to snatch me up if that's your intentions."

"It's not," though tempted as he was to do just that. She looked delectable in the summer's day blue dress she was wearing with a wide white shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Lulu Spencer should always be in blue; she looked like an angel in that color. "You shouldn't be without guards. What if someone from my father's camp had followed me here? You could be in a lot of problem if you're caught."

"So can you," Lulu pointed out, swinging her legs slowly back and forth. "I don't get the feeling that you told anyone about who you were with during our little jaunt down the coast."

"Jaunt?"

"My English professor is pretty crazy old fashion… actually he's just pretty crazy," she shook her head and wondered briefly when she was going to be able to resume her studies normally. "And I think he's got kind of a weird icky crush on one of his students… who happens to be a friend of mine." She meant to talk to Georgie about that… whenever Carly and Jason finally decide to let her out of the house. Speaking of Jason… "Hey, is everything okay with you?"

"What?"

"Are you all right?" she wanted to know. "Is everything kosher for you?"

Johnny thought about the roaring fights with his father over Claudia's reappearance and her subsequent insistence of not seeing their father just yet, the files upon files of information he found about Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan that Travor Lancing has been secretly hording in his office, his disturbing conversations with his close-mouthed sister over her recent activities and the influx of new people around the compound. "I'm fine."

"Wow, that was believable," she snorted and scooted backwards into the boxcar. "I'm not going to ask what happened because I know you're not going to tell me… and I probably don't want to hear it anyways. So let's leave the ugly 'business' outside and have ourselves a nice peaceful picnic in here."

"Picnic?" he asked as he followed her further into the compartment and was surprised to find a checkered blanket and a half emptied basket. "Where did you…"

"You'd be surprised by what I can do when I put my mind to it," she smiled and patted the seat cross from her with good cheer. She poured sparkling apple cider into two plastic tumblers and offered one to him. "No ice but it should still be cool."

"I can't believe you managed to sneak away from your fortress of a home and put together a picnic at the same time," he was dutifully impressed by her ingenious and dumbfounded by this amazing and complicated girl.

"Oh you ain't see nothing yet," touching her glass to him. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"Thank _you_ for rescuing me," Johnny replied in kind and actually met it. He was just about to go crazy in that creepy old house. With a sigh, he forced dark thoughts from his mind and took a sip. "Um… that's not just apple cider."

"I mixed a little something into it."

There was a moment of alarm but he dismissed anything duplicitous by the simple twinkle in her eyes. She was like a breath of fresh air. "What else is in it?"

"Brandy," she giggled. "Dad use to have it like that."

He laughed – that soft rustic sound.

Lulu's cup paused on its way to her lips as she stared.

Surprised by her wide eye gaze, "What?"

"You're so beautiful," she stated with a shake of her head. "It's totally not fair."

Johnny felt his face grow warm.

"You're blushing," she grinned.

Flustered and unable to say anything intelligent, he made a show of digging through the basket for the platter of fried chicken and container of potato salad. Delighted by this side of him, Lulu leaned over suddenly and brushed her lips across his cheek. Johnny froze in place for a second before he looked up, one hand still inside the basket. Neither of them said anything, unwilling to break this moment between them. It was an warm and beautiful moment that passed between just the two of them. It was perfect.

Then Johnny broke the silence by leaning closer, as if he wasn't quite sure if he was reading the situation correct, giving her all the time she needed if she was disinclined to continue this train of thought. She wasn't. Lulu leaned in again. Their lips met.

_"Now this,_" Johnny thought to himself, _"__This__ is perfect."_

-&-&-&-

Staring out the window, Carly silently watched the scenery pass her by and mentally went down the list of things she needed to get done when she went home. She didn't question it when Paul came to pick her up to bring her to the airport where Jason would be waiting for her to pick up Michael and Morgan. Her boys were home… that's the important part. If she had to meet up with Jason to pick up her boys, so be it.

It's been nine days since she's seen Jason… not that she was counting. And her heart was slowly healing, getting use to the idea of no Jason around. She was successful for most part, only caught herself half a dozen times reaching for her phone to call her best… to call Jason. But she's managed it without too many tears. It was lonely, cutting herself off from the rest of the world to simply survive. With her mother and her children in another country, she could only find solace in Lulu and gain contact with the outside world from the occasional visits from Lucky and Nikolas, who both braved the dozen guards that surround her once lovely home. It was necessary and they all understood it. She was being good… too good for her own liking. But that's just the way it is.

"We passed the exit, Paul," Carly reminded her guard as they hurried on. "Paul?"

"Private airstrip," Paul replied quietly.

She nodded, accepting that. It wouldn't be the first time. And certainly won't be the last. The important thing is that her boys are safe. "How much further?"

"Five minutes," was the quick efficient answer.

Nodding with a sigh, she looked forward to seeing her babies. With the boys around, she won't have as much time brood over things she couldn't change, couldn't have. And they will also distract Lulu from whatever idea she was hatching up, and she was certain that Lulu was probably making plans for an escape soon. Spencers don't like to be cooped up in one place against their will for too long. And when this was all over…

The vibrating phone completely cut off her thoughts. Picking it up, she frowned at the ID. It was Jason. "Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"In the car," she answered, confused for a moment. "We're almost there."

"Where?" was the urgent question.

"The airport," she answered, looking up to meet Paul's eyes in the rearview mirror, "to meet you." The moment the words left her tongue, she understood what was happening.

The silence was palpable. Then was broken by the sound of the hammer being pulled back on an old fashion revolver as it peeked around the edge of the driver seat. "Put the phone down, Mrs. Corinthos."

Carly didn't panic. She simply closed her phone and dropped it into the passenger seat in front of her without a word. She didn't turn it off either. "I take it you've been bought?"

"It doesn't matter," Paul replied as he partly watched the road and partly watched Carly through the mirror. "Don't worry. They don't want you harmed, just held. You should be free to go in a few days."

"Is that what you think?" she asked calmly. After all, this isn't her first kidnapping. "You keep thinking that if it gives you any kind of peace. Oh, just so you know, you're a dead man already."

"I was a dead man a long time ago, Mrs. Corinthos. This isn't anything personal."

"Oh good," she replied rather snidely, "I'd hate for my abduction to be a _personal_ thing."

"I just needed the money."

"Drugs?"

"No."

"Debts, huh? Gambling?" he didn't answer. "Grambling then." She made a tisking sound and shook her head. "Well, I hope it was worth it then."

"We're almost there."

"Sure," she replied and leaned back. Nothing more she can do at the moment; they were too close to their destination and she had no intentions of jumping out of a moving car. She'd have to bid her time and come up with something else… or wait for Jason and the others to find her. She could only be thankful that Lulu and her boys weren't involved in this, that they were all safe and under the watchful eyes of guards that were trusted. Thank god she sent Max and Milo to her boys.

The car rolled to a stop next to a small plane. Not waiting for anyone, she exited the car. The silver-maned man greeted her with a smile. "Welcome Mrs. Corinthos, I hope the trip wasn't too fatiguing. Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Trevor Lancing. And I will be your host for a few days."

_To be continued…_

No obligations but some feedback would be much appreciated.


	24. Something New

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Lorenzo tests Claudia, Coop and Logan both get new assignments and Enrico gets a nasty warning.

**Timeline**: Nowhere in this universe or even of the next. This timeline is infinite and stretched out in some semblance of order: donut shaped and sugar glazed though with a few chocolate sprinkles on top. And if you actually understood that, it is perhaps a good time to seek some professional help… or a nice visit to Shadybrook?

**Author's Note**: So, I think my now, it's pretty obvious that I've changing some of the characteristics of the characters on the show. Logan has been one I've been messing with for a while now. I made him a war hero instead of being dishonorably discharged from the army for 'whatever.' (Since TPTB didn't explain, I'm just going to ignore it for my story sake.) So now I'm going to have him work for Ric Lancing (like on the show) but for more _interesting_ reasons.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

*****************************

**Chapter 24 – Something New**

*****************************

"I don't want to hear the excuses," Jason snapped uncharacteristically and clutched the edge of the desk tightly to keep control of himself. "I want to know _how_ the hell it happened."

"Paul Eric Devane," Brett replied calmly as he elbowed the stuttering Philip by his side. The man was rookie, never been in the organization before this, and didn't know how to handle a screw up. Than again, with Jason in charge, it was hard to say what wouldn't set the man off. "Recruited three years ago. Round the clock on the tower for a year before we moved him to Mrs. Corinthos' place last year. He was personal bodyguard to Michael for about six months."

"How did they get to him?"

"Money," Brett answered with an almost shrug until he remembered himself. Carly Corinthos was a touchy subject for Mr. Morgan and Mr. Corinthos. You don't take it lightly when she's involved. "He ran up some serious debts with a few sharks on the upper Westside. Has a gambling issue he was suppose to be in rehab for, father recently went into the hospital and his mother was committed about three months ago. He was strapped for cash and bleed out his loans."

For a moment, it looked as if Jason might actually snap but he managed to pull himself together with one thought: Carly needed him. "Where did he take her?"

"The kid," jerking a thumb at the unusually silent Spinelli in the corner, "tracked the cell to McMahon airport just outside of town. It's a private property. Old man McMahon rents it to anyone that can afford it. We've used it ourselves once or twice as drop off points."

"Have we found him yet?"

"Trent and Mike are on him. We should have him back here in two hours tops."

"I don't want him _here_," Jason replied carefully. The blue of his eyes were sharp with command and danger.

Nothing more needs to be said. Brett understood perfectly. "I'll handle it personally."

Jason nodded and dismissed them with a quick flick of his chin. He waited a beat after the door closed to ask, "Did you find her yet?" The clicking of the keyboard was the only answer he got. _"Obviously not."_ He didn't like the wait, it gave him too much time to think of all the possible horrors that were occurring without his knowledge and the possible dangers that still laid ahead. He was on the verge of opening his mouth again when the door burst open with a loud clang.

"You want to me tell what 'Lulu is missing' means?" Lucky asked through clinched teeth.

"Lucky," Nikolas gave his brother a warning look though he had the same question in his eyes when he turned to Jason. "What happened? How did…"

"She took off," Jason answered in that expressionless tone of his. "Lulu ditched her guards at the house." It was perhaps a good thing that Lucky and Nikolas are here; it kept him from being distracted by thoughts of Carly and what might be happening to her or how he was going to punish Lulu for her harebrained actions. Did the girl not realize just how serious the situation was? How many bullets was it going to take before she learned her lesson?

Though he really wasn't surprised, Lucky still felt compelled to ask, "What the hell kind of guards do you have? She's just a girl!"

"She's a Spencer," Jason reminded him as if it should have been answer enough. "It's probably good that she wasn't in the house yesterday anyways," he couldn't quite help but conceded even as he seethed at the thought of it.

"Why?" Nikolas asked, his brows furrowing in concern. "What else happened?"

"Someone watching Carly got bought. They turned her over to a third party." It tasted bitter to say it out loud… that he allowed someone to get to Carly so easily.

Lucky gave a hiss of pain as his slammed his fist into a wall. It was the wall or Jason's face. He didn't say anything, didn't have to. Nothing he said would have made it better or worse. And nothing he said could have hurt Jason more. He could see it in Jason's eyes. "Have you found neither of them yet?"

Jason nodded over to Spinelli, who was paying them no attention and typing furiously on his laptop, muttering ever so softly to himself in words that no one can hear – nor understand.

The brothers nodded and said nothing more on the subject. Their sister was going to be found… and found soon… then chained up in a dungeon somewhere on Spoon Island, buried within the heart of Windemere. _Then_ they going to yell at her and feed her nothing but bread and water for a week. That girl is _soooo_ grounded.

Giving Lucky a quick shove toward the only other unoccupied chair in the room, Nikolas took up a position in front of the desk. "Can I assume that Lulu isn't mixed up in whatever Carly is currently mixed up in?"

"If they wanted Lulu, it would have been easy to get to both with a bought man on the inside. The fact that they only took Carly could probably mean that Lulu isn't part of the package… _yet_. That can easily change. Especially in light of Carly's position where Lulu is concerned."

Swallowing all thought with more understanding that should be allowed – he is a Cassadine after all – Nikolas nodded his head and mentally braced himself. "I'm moving Lulu to the island."

"Emily too," Jason added for safe measures. "I don't want her getting rolled into this if this thing spills over to me."

The chill that went down Nikolas' back didn't help. "I'll make arrangements and put up more guards."

"Vet them thoroughly," Jason advised. "I'll find Carly."

"Stone-Cold," Spinelli suddenly shouted into the silence in his usual spontaneous manner. Eyes feverish with excitement, "I've located the Fair Lulu."

"WHERE?" Lucky and Nikolas' combined reaction was enough to shake Spinelli's mindlessness. He looked up, startled, as if just realizing that there were other people in the room.

"Brothers of the Blonde One," he looked from one to the other, only now just noticing that there were some resemblance around the eyes despite only sharing one parental unit. "Using the latest tracking technology, the Jackal has followed Her Fairness' mobile communication device to somewhere just outside of town," turning his laptop around for them to see, "in an abandoned location near the railroads that bisects the county lines. The Jackal fear to hazard a guess as to why Fair Lulu's communication unit would be dislocated from civilization. Perhaps the nefarious ones that have captured the Blonde One has abandoned her mobile unit in hopes of throwing us off the track." He left it at a hopeful note; anything to give himself brighter thoughts than those conjured by many hours of bad gangster movies.

"I'm sure that's it," Nikolas agreed with a nod, grateful to Spinelli for his concerns.

"Or…" Lucky interjected with as he studied the map a little more closely. The location was strangely familiar…

"Or what?" Jason asked, concern furrowing his brows. Spencers were resourceful to the point of being annoying.

"Or my sister is doing something really stupid," the younger Spencer man growled with irritation as he finally recollect something from his own misspent youth. "Nikolas, go back to Windemere and prepare to receive some guests."

"Guests?" the prince's regal brow rose a notch. "As in plural?"

"Yeah," Lucky said, staking to the office door. "Jason, I'll take care of Lulu from here on out. I'll make sure she stays put. Find Carly, bring her back… or else," he left it as a pseudo – if ineffectual – warning and walked out.

"I'm going to guess he knows where Lulu is and probably what she's doing," Nikolas predicted even as pulled his cell phone out. "Thank you, Spinelli. Jason…" he shrugged one shoulder and gave him a look of sympathy. "Call me when you find Carly. I'll have a room ready for her as well… just in case." He gave another mild shrug as if anything goes. "Alfred, it's me. I'm going to need…"

Jason nodded and waited until Nikolas left to make preparations before he turned to Spinelli again. He had absolutely no intentions of letting Carly out of his sight again but that was hardly something he needed to inform his former and possible future brother-in-law of. But first things first, "Did you get that confirmation I wanted?"

"Yes," Spinelli replied, unusually brief. He could see that Jason was in a mood. "The trace looped back to the Caymen Islands leaving it virtually undetectable. And though it would be a serious violation to the integrity of my position as a cyber…"

"Where did the money come from?" Jason asked to force the kid.

"Zacchara. The amount transferred out of the Evil Ones holdings in Zurich matches almost exactly the amount transferred to that of the Traitorous One." Spinelli swallowed his fear and prepare to take his life into his own hands. "Stone-Cold, your grasshopper would caution his master not to strike against the evil doers however tempted his master may be. Not only do they currently hold the Valkyie in hand, any strike Stone-Cold makes upon them could result in a struggle of a magnitude likely to cause great destruction. Without the feared Mr. Corinthos here to oversee the management of such activities, Stone-Cold will have to divide his attentions and therefore let down his guard. That would be dangerous to the Valkyie, Fair Lulu and your most venerable Doctor-Sister."

Pausing for about half a nanosecond, Jason turned icy blues on Spinelli. "Get me an address. I want to know where they might have…"

"Morgan," Lorenzo Alcazar was a man use to having his own way. "Where's Corinthos?"

"Out," Jason answered a little more clip than his usual manner. He did not have time for this.

"We have a interesting…"

"Now is not the time," Jason pronounced. "Spinelli…"

"Zacchara's daughter contacted me," Lorenzo informed the obviously impatient man before him. Business was good when Jason Morgan was in charge. The man didn't usually allow his emotions to run his head, unlike Corinthos… unlike himself at times. But the look Morgan pinned him with was not a good sign. Something had set the normally unflappable Enforcer off. "What happened?"

"You first," Jason said, holding up a hand toward the agitated Spinelli. "What do they want?"

"She," he corrected and informed at the same time. "There doesn't appear to be any love lost between _Ms._ Zacchara and her father… or the father's mouth piece."

"Get on with it," Jason said impatiently.

"Claudia Zacchara would like to form an alliance… against her father and Trevor Lancing, his father's lawyer. Yes: Lancing." Lorenzo made a face, indicating his displeasure with the thought. "Our esteemed D.A. has a contentious relationship with his father so… don't expect anything from that front where the Zacchara's are concerned."

Jason processed that and made a decision. "Carly is missing."

The silence that followed was almost poisonous.

"When?"

"Three hours ago."

"And you're just now telling me this?" Lorenzo's teeth ached from clinching so hard.

Jason merely regarded him blankly.

Reframing from informing Jason of what he thought of the Enforcer's skills… or his so-call loyalty, Lorenzo pulled out his phone and punched a number angrily. "I want a meeting… now. Harbor, twenty minutes." There was a brief reply on the other end. Glancing at Jason, "I'll see what I can find out from my new 'partner.'"

"If they have her…"

"I'll find out."

"I'm not going to let this slide," Jason warned with dark intent.

"Neither will I," Lorenzo informed Jason in no uncertain terms. When it came to Carly, nothing was off limits. There was going to be hell to be paid.

Allowing himself a moment, Jason waited a beat. "Spinelli."

"Your grasshopper is at your attendance, Master."

"Get me an address to the Zacchara's main base of operations." There was quick pause. "And get Jesse to bring me Cooper Barrett."

-&-&-&-

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Logan asked, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes straight forwards, lookeing every bit the soldier and none of the gangster that he's been posing at. He may have left the army but the army has definitely not quite left him.

"I've got something new for you to do."

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No, you've done a pretty good job getting _nothing _on Corinthos but that's neither here nor there," Ric replied sarcastically but let it go just as fast. One would think that with his military intelligence background, Logan Hayes would have gotten him something by now. Maybe recruiting him hadn't been the best idea but he couldn't exactly use baby-faced clean-cut Cooper Barrett as his mole. "I have something else right now for a man of your talent. And it's going to be a tricky one."

Logan didn't say anything, waited patiently for Lancing to get to the point. He was glad to be pulled from the Corinthos assignment. With Cooper involved, he couldn't very well turn on Corinthos without turning on his buddy. He remember a quote someone that told him long ago about choosing between betraying his country or betraying friend and having the guts to betray his country… boy does he know that feeling now.

"There's a… an organization run from just outside of New York, the Zaccharas. I want you to convince Corinthos' crew to let you infiltrate it. I can't send you in without getting you killed."

For a moment, Logan thought he had heard incorrectly. _"You have got to be kidding me?"_ Logan wanted to close his eyes and groaned but kept his face composed. "Is there hints of the Zaccharas moving into the territory?"

"More than just hints," Ric said almost bitterly.

Though he would dearly love to know, Logan didn't ask. He was already busy thinking of a way to convince Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan to let him play double… um… triple agent? It was definitely not going to be easy. As it was, neither men really trust him enough to handle anything sensitive, including one Lulu Spencer. Now how would he…

"When you get in," Ric continued quietly, thoughtfully, "watch out for Claudia Zacchara. She's eldest daughter but not a team player." That was an understatement of enormous proportions. "Stay out of her way and keep your nose down. That woman can smell a Fed from a mile away and she won't hesitate to take you down."

"Sounds like you know her."

"She's an old friend but she can help."

"You sure about that?"

Ric nodded, though inside he wasn't so sure.

-&-&-&-

"Didn't we just have a conversation?" Claudia asked as she picked her way down the smelly creaky steps of the harbor plank platform. "I assumed that we have outlined all the essentials already. Did you have more…"

"I expected that you would keep your word to our agreement without fail."

The tone of his voice gave her chills though she didn't react. She was anything but slow on the uptake. "What happened?" There were few people in the world that scared her these days, but the glint in Lorenzo Alcazar's eye reminded her of his status and what the man was capable of.

"Your father grabbed my wi… my ex-wife."

Making a note of the slip, Claudia shook her head and reached for her phone. "I take it that if I can get her back, it'll prove that my intentions are serious?"

"Get her back," Lorenzo ordered without giving anything up. The veins at his neck throbbed in repressed anger.

Claudia made a mental note to figure what it was about Carly Corinthos that made her men so loyal to her. It wasn't something to emulate but definitely something to be aware of. "For the record, my father's current mental capacity seesaws between a six year old and someone with dementia. He wouldn't have come up with this on his own. It's Trevor." She made a face and spoke into the phone. "It's me. They grabbed the ex-wife. Find out where Trevor is stashing her and if my father is involved. Make an _impression_ if 'Daddy' is the one that put this into motion. And get the coordinates of the other thing we talked about." She flipped the phone off and glanced at the man beside her, noting the way he was studying her. "I'll find your ex-wife. Can I assume that you and I have an understanding now?"

"What do you need from me?"

"A guarantee," Claudia stated very plainly. "My brother is off limits… to you and Corinthos."

"I can't make a guarantee for Corinthos."

"Find a way," she informed him. "I don't want the external sections of our lives involved. Your kid, your exes, my brother, Corinthos' kids and exes. No matter what happens, we'll keep them out of this."

"If you are planning a coup…"

"Maybe," she admitted with a quick smirk, "But that's something completely internal and won't involve you or Corinthos. I just want to make sure that Trevor's war doesn't spill over onto the Zaccharas."

"You think Lancing is running his own agenda?"

"I _know_ he is."

-&-&-&-

"You wanted to see me?" Cooper asked as he was more or less escorted into the back office of the local mob front.

"Sit down," Jason ordered with a nod to the chair across the way. "I have an assignment for you."

Cooper sat, glanced briefly at a nervous Spinelli and prepared himself for the worse.

"I'm sure you're well aware of someone moving into our territory lately. Earlier today, the Zaccharas grabbed Carly right out from under us, took her right out of her house with a man bought and paid for," Jason told him in no uncertain term, then dropped the bombshell. "And Lulu played hooky from her guards. I said _**SIT DOWN**_," he ordered again when Cooper jumped up at the last piece of news.

"Who is out looking for her?" Cooper wanted to know.

"Her brothers," Jason told him. "Lucky's got a pretty good idea what she's up to. We tracked her via her cell phone."

"Anyone could have picked up her cell."

"We're pretty sure it's Lulu," Jason said, not sure why he was even bothering to explain. _"Because you know what it's like to not know what's happening with someone you care about."_ He acknowledged his own thoughts grimly. "Lucky will let us know when he finds her."

Still looking uneasy, Cooper wasn't left with much choice but to accept that. "What's my new assignment."

"The Zaccharas."

He didn't say anything… he wasn't sure how he was suppose to react.

"If they're moving into the terriatory, they'll want ins with the local police. Put it about that you're short on money, see if the Zaccharas will tag you as something they can buy. Play it right and get me whatever you have on them."  
Considering that was just asked to put his life on the line for a different kind of reason, "Are they moving into…"

"They've more than made threats now and I want to keep them out of Port Charles."

"We're sure they took Lulu?"

"Yes." And didn't elaborate on the recent and additional news of one John Zacchara.

That was enough for Coop. "I'll make sure they take the bait."

"Do that."

-&-&-&-

"Rodriguez."

"Little Brother," Enrico greeted as he headed to his room in the Alcazar complex. "A word of advise: get yourself a phone that isn't quite so easily identifiable."

"I'm not in your line of work," Cruz replied rather calmly as he shook hot coffee from his hand where he had accidentally crushed a cup in. This was actually the third phone number he's had in the last four weeks, after his brother's initial contact. "What do you want?"

"I do not suppose you have any vacation time you'd like to take about now. A little visit to your mother would be very welcomed."

With one hand, he opened the door to his car and with the other, he held the phone to his ear. "Why? What's going on?"

"I am uncertain as of yet. But I do not like the way things are moving." He wondered briefly if anyone has been told of Mrs. Corinthos' disappearance yet. It was unlikely… this was, after all, 'business.'

"So why send me out of town?" Cruz asked, his temper calming down and his detective's instincts rearing its head. His brother was getting at something. "I have nothing to do with all this."

For a brief moment, Enrico was tempted to tell him about Lancing's not quite so veiled threat. But to do so would involve his brother in business that Enrico would prefer not to involve him in. And despite his own motivations and dealings, he had no desire to see Cruz involved with the more nefarious side of society. "Your mama has not seen you in some months now. I merely thought that after my last conversation with her, she would be happy to receive her only son."

"Leave my mother out of this," Cruz replied firmly as he switched to hands-free and pulled his car from the curb. His sweet little corvette hummed quietly. He was due back at the station over half an hour ago. With Lucky off searching for his sister, he had to hold down the desk before Mac finds out too much about Lucky's activities. "Whatever it is you want…"

"Just leave town for a few days while I sort some things out," Enrico said in no uncertain terms. There were times when blunt force was necessary. "I do not want to see you hurt."

Cruz wasn't sure why he felt the sudden urge to reassure his brother, but he did. "I'm a big boy now, Enrico. I can take care of myself. Whatever is happen with your world…"

"The problem we face, _hermano_, is simply that I am uncertain as to what _will_ happen."

There was a pause. "Why are you suddenly so worried about me?" When his brother didn't answer, Cruz cursed violently and unexpectedly in Spanish; it was an inbred and instinctive thing to do no matter how he tried to curb it. Everything clicked into place. "Someone found about us?"

Sorrow was a good word to describe Enrico's reaction to his brother's bitterness. He certainly didn't blame him. "Yes."

"Someone threatened me?" Cruz wanted to know as he pulled to a stop at a light. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry about it. And here he thought that his partner was getting in way too deep with the mob. The light changed and he put his car into drive, taking some comfort in the simple motion of man and machine. His car made sense, his life did not. "Who is it, Enrico?"

"Little Brother…"

"Look, you can't just drop a bomb on and me expect me to…" the headlights blinded him. And Cruz had two seconds to realize what was happening. The impact of truck against car produced a deafening sound, drowning out Enrico's voice as he called to his brother.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**The Actual Quote:  
**"_If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country." _- E. M. Forster, referring to the Nazis.


	25. Allies

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Lucky gets a new ally, Lulu is arrested, Nikolas gets unexpected help and Trevor underestimates Carly.

**Timeline**: I think we're still stuck in late 2007… possibly early 2008. But does it really matter? Is anyone actually keeping track of the year, month or day?

**Author's Note**: Pissed at General Hospital right now. Cannot stand the storyline that's currently being played out. (Though I am cheering Liz and Lucky on!) The only thing to cheer about is the continued great acting of Sarah Brown and Laura Wright, both of whom I simply adore. But seriously, Kate and Olivia needs to die now please…. Pretty please?

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 25 – Allies**

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"Ten-one-o-eight, Ten-one-o-eight, we have an officer down. I repeat: we have an officer down."

"Get the hospital on the line."

"Who's the next of kin?"

"Someone get his partner on the phone!"

"I want an ETA on the paramedics."

"Ten-one-o-eight, Ten-one-o-eight, we have an officer down. Officer down. I repeat: we have an officer down."

-&-&-&-

"When?" Lucky asked into his phone as his long legs ate up the distanced between his parked car and the door to the emergency room at General Hospital. "I want to know as soon as you have it done." He hung up the phone saw a familiar face. "Emily! What's the status? How's my partner?"

"They're still en route," Emily replied, snapping on gloves. She didn't have the heart to tell her best friend that they had to cut his partner out of the mangled car first. "We'll know as soon as they come in."

"But you have an idea," Lucky said as he grabbed Emily's arm when she tried to get by him. "Em, just give it to me straight. How is he?"

There were rules about telling people information about patients they have or have not seen, there were things you were allowed to say to loved one and friends, there were protocols to follow and written scripts to repeat…. But Emily has never been one to sugar coat the truth and then have to deliver that devastating blow at the end – the way they did for her when her birth mother left her. "It's bad, Lucky. Full on collision at high speeds, hit and run… it doesn't get worse than this."

"Hit and run? At high speeds?" Lucky's ears were ringing with doubt. "What are you talking about? How is that even…" the sirens wailing cut him off as the ambulance screeched to a stop in the ambulance bay. When you're carrying a man in blue, you better not stop until you have to. It also doesn't help to hear the multiple police sirens following in your wake.

"I have to go," Emily explained as she wretched herself away and joined the half dozen staff by the entrance bay ready to receive their patient.

"CLEAR THE WAY!" the paramedic shouted as the top of his lungs as he rolled the gurney through. Four people immediately followed, shouting questions, stats and procedures as they went. Three nurses made a mad dash from the elevators with packets of whole blood clutched in their hands. What little Lucky could see of his partner was quickly hidden behind white lab coats, green scrubs and latex covered hands as he was wheeled pass the rapidly blue-uniform filled waiting area.

"What's the word Spencer?" one of the detectives asked as he and several casual clothes officers filed in through the service entrance.

"Nothing so far," Lucky answered, careful to keep his frustration as bay. "Who was the first on the scene?"

"Patrol car saw it from half a block away. Almost gave chase to the hit & run driver until they saw the lights on Cruz's dash. Thank god they did. Call it in within moments."

"Rest of the patrol cars out looking for our perp?"

"All cars are out on the street now. You don't do this to one of ours and get away with it." Dashiell Colins was an detective from another era. And he wasn't above handling things on the low when necessary – he's lost too many partners, good men, for him not to. "We're going to get this guy, Spencer. Don't you worry."

"I'm not," Lucky said carefully as he watched a nurse cannonballed through the swinging emergency room doors to the exam rooms. "I don't plan on letting this guy off."

"Any word yet?"

"Besides 'bad?' No." Lucky turned and looked to a uniform cop with a grim face. He remember the kid, second year patrolman; Cruz would bring them coffee at crime scenes and sent the rookies out for air. "I want pictures of the scene, all of it. Nothing gets moved until forensics goes through it with a fine tooth calm. Put Henderson at the lab on it and tell him to move it to the top of the stack. He works on nothing but this until he hears otherwise from me. I want Cruz's cell phone and dispatch radio logs pulled. Any and all video of what happened, I don't care what kind of quality it is. I want everything on my desk in an hour. One more thing, I want to talk to the first person on the scene, _everyone_ in the patrol car that saw it happen. Get a statement now and I'll follow up once I know the situation here."

The uniform didn't question it, he nodded and grabbed his own partner and took off. Several others went with them. They didn't need actual official orders. They didn't even need to coordinate and check their caseload. It was one of their own. That was more than enough.

-&-&-&-

"What was that?" Lulu rolled to her side and held still. The crunch of dry weeds breaking underfoot was heard again. "Go, get out of here."

Johnny frowned as he helped Lulu to her feet. The hand she held to her side reminded him of what she had gone through only recently. "What if it's…"

Lulu didn't really give him a chance to talk. She shoved him out of the box car with a quick hand and jumped out after him, wincing in pain. "If it's one of yours, you can help me later. If it's one of Jason or Sonny's, you're in serious trouble and, probably, so am I. At least I know I can get out of it. But you? I'm not sure I can help if they decide to use you as leverage or something; I don't have that kind of pull." Though she supposed tears and begging Carly would probably produce some results.

Torn between her logic and his instinct to protect her, Johnny hesitated.

"Are you kidding me?" Lulu gave him another push. "What kind of mob kid are you? Get your ass out of here!" then turned around to go the other way. If nothing else, she came give him a little more time to get hidden.

"Hello?" was the question asked as a uniformed appeared around the other side of the box car. "Is anyone there?"

"Oh hi, Officer," Lulu greeted brightly, her smile wide and eyes all innocent. She waved her hand behind her back for Johnny to stay hidden. Something seemed off about the way the officer was looking at her, checking her over a little more carefully then police officers she's seen at the station do; as if looking for something.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me? I'm just getting some air. Found this place."

"Really now," he frowned at her and shook his head, obviously exasperated. "Are you Lulu Spencer?"

Surprised and now a little suspicious, "Who wants to know?" She took a step back. "Can I see some identification please?" She knew there was at least one cop on the force bought, it won't shock her to hear of another.

"Officer Douglas Jamison, badge number 95684, Port Charles Police Department," he flipped open an ID holder and pointed to the badge on his chest. "I'm going to need you to come with me, Miss Spencer."

Lulu studied the photo ID carefully, making note of all the necessary marks to make it real (something she learned from both father and brother) and then at the emblem pinned to the officer's uniform, matching the badge number to the one he rattled off and was printed on the ID. "Can I ask why?"

"You're under arrest, Miss Spencer," holding out his hand to her but not his cuffs. He didn't think Detective Spencer would like him cuffing his sister, the man's got enough problems as it is now.

"What for?" outraged and wondering how she was going to explain this to Carly… and Jason… and – _"Oh god" – _her brothers.

"For trespassing."

-&-&-&-

"How is he?" Lucky asked quietly as he watched through the thick glass of the ICU.

"Well…" Emily sighed and stripped off her soiled surgical gown. She had been fortunate enough to have gotten to observe, though she would have fought tooth and nail to be in the operating room for Lucky if nothing else. "I'm not going to lie to you. It was touch and go for a while in there, but they don't make them tougher than this. He's critical but, for now, stable." She touched Lucky's arm with reassurance. "The next twenty-four hours are essential. If he pulls through, his chances will improve. But we still have to monitor him very closely."

Nodding his head in thanks, "They boys are setting up watch around the clock in the chapel. They didn't think you guys were appreciate us all milling around here and getting in the way."

"We do appreciate it," Emily replied softly, seeing the strain in her friend's eyes. She desperately wish she had better news for him. The days ahead were going to be rough ones.

"We're trying to fly his mother down from Boston but the weather took a freaky turn, winds are keeping the planes grounded there."

"She's got plenty of time," she said, hoping that it was true and that she didn't just give Lucky false expectations. But she couldn't bear to see the pain in Lucky's eyes, not after everything he's gone through of late. It's like he can't catch a break. "Did you want to stick around? I can have someone bring you a gown and let you sit with him for a while."

"I've got work," Lucky said, thanking her for her thoughtfulness with his eyes. "That bastard is still out there and every guy on the force wants a piece of him right now."

"You still haven't found whoever it was that did this?" surprised as a mighty weak term.

"No and we're not stopping until we do," Lucky was going to personally see to it that someone pays dearly for this. Cruz wasn't just his partner; he was the guy that's had Lucky's back since day one. When Lucky needed someone, his partner was always one step ahead of him. Thank god for him.

"I know you will," Emily slipped her hand into Lucky's for a moment, offering him her support in that sweet soft way of hers. "You let me know if there's anything you need, okay?"

"Prayers, Elizabeth and the ass that did this," Lucky said with a smile. "That's all I need right now."

"How's Liz?" she asked, hoping to turn his attention. Lucky's got a mean streak in him when it comes to people he cared about, it was a trait she's certain that he got from Luke.

"Home and resting," Lucky smiled. "Dinner with us some time this week, okay? She could use the company."

"You moved back in," Emily tilted her head sideways and regarded him with a raised brow of speculation. She understood her best friends well. Lucky won't have moved in, not completely, unless there was an understanding of some sort. "Are you and Liz…" she choose her words carefully, "working things out?"

"Let me put it this way," Lucky turned and saw a couple of uniforms approaching to check on Cruz and waved them over. "I got my retainer back from Alexis and Elizabeth is looking forward to not paying those three digit fees to Diane."

Emily laughed softly and greeted the officers with a nod as she left to make her rounds.

Lucky took a breath and looked through the window again. "He's holding his own and they expected the next 24 hours to be critical." He turned and looked at Officer Bridges. "Where are we on the case?"

"All info on your desk and we're having traffic control pull surveillance from street and store. Everyone is cooperative so far," the uniform smile grimly. "Let's hope this guy is stupid and insane, hitting a cop then leaving the scene."

"He could have panicked," Jordon offered kindly but without any sympathy for what the D.A.'s office was going to do to the guy when they catch up to him. "Fisk and Stanley, first on the scene, are back at the station. They're doing their reports now and won't leave until you talk to them."

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it."

"Whatever you need man," the officers exchange quick understanding glances and retreated to the chapel. The only person that should be by a down officer's side should be family and partner… and possibly the commissioner but even he took a second chair to the immediate person there.

Lucky stared at the beeping machines tracking heart and oxygen going to and from his partner and offered a silent prayer. He needed Cruz to make it through this. Then he was going to hand his partner a nice wooden bat and send him into a room with the guy that did this. He's got no copulations about seeing some real justice done here.

"Detective Spencer?"

Turning, Lucky almost jumped out of his skin. "Um…"

"Enrico Rodriguez," the man held out his hand and turned to look through the window. "I know the resemblance is rather startling but don't tell my brother that. He would not see it as a compliment."

Turning over his thoughts, Lucky cleared his throat delicately. "I didn't know that Cruz had a brother. He never mentioned it before."

"We have several brothers… sisters too," Enrico smiled rather sadly, "But I'm afraid we are not close." He allowed the implications hang as he continued to stare into the sterile room grimly. There were too many machines and tubes and liquids on his brother. "How is he?"

"Critical," Lucky answered, his eyes never leaving the man's face. The similarities were frightening; he could be staring at Cruz's fraternal twin for all he knew. "How did you…"

"You will not find them, you know," Enrico interrupted with an angrily glare in his eyes as his hands fisted against the metal frame of the window. "They will have abandoned the car by now, dismantled it if they could and will be halfway out of this country within the hour. If your people find the vehicle, it will be a white van with no known plate, stolen from out of state, vin number filed away long ago. It will have been torched or wiped down, nothing will be traceable. _That_ is what will happen."

None of it made sense. "Why would…"

"They hurt him to send me a message," Enrico's teeth ached as he clinched it tight. Rage and guilt battled for control and intellectually knew that neither one was of any help at the moment. "The only reason he is still alive is because my brother will not to taken so easily."

Lucky's mind jumped to several conclusions and narrowed in on the correct one quickly; though his mind rebelled against the idea... This is Cruz they were talking about; straight and narrow Cruz who won't even let people fix parking tickets for him. But... what does he really know about Cruz? The man was notoriously tight-lipped about his life outside the office, always deflecting with a smile and a joke. "Which one are you with?"

Impressed and appreciative of the fact that his brother's friend was not dancing around the issues. "Alcazar."

"This have anything to do with…"

"Of course."

"Zaccharas?"

There was short pause as Enrico decided if he wanted this or not. He has not discussed any of this with Lorenzo yet and did not know how his friend and boss would react. The machine in Cruz's room beeped. "Yes."

Nodding his head, Lucky turned to watch his partner again. "The department isn't going to let this one go. Cruz bleeds blue and we take care of our own."

"I'll find you the man," Enrico responded with. "I cannot guarantee him to be in one piece."

"You get first crack at him," Lucky agreed, never turning to look at his partner's brother. "I get that this is a family thing."

"The Families have nothing to do with this."

"I didn't say, _'The Family.' _I said family… blood. I understand that. I just need someone at the end to hang this on."

"You will have it," Enrico promised with a kind of finality that should have scared Lucky but didn't. Taking a card out, he left it on the window frame. "I'll be in touch," then left as silently as he came.

Pocketing the card with the phone number written neatly on it, no name or address, Lucky made an resigned face. Looks like he just made a deal with the mob. Though he suppose it could have been worse.

-&-&-&-

The fog was just rolling in as the boat docked against the pier. It was going to a chilly night. Nikolas took a breath and stepped off only to stop short as a shadow disengaged itself from around a building. "Who's there?"

"Are you Nikolas Cassadine?"

"Who wants to know?" The shadow stepped into the light thrown by the dock's numerous lamp posts, an addition Nikolas had personally paid for. The face as a handsome but unfamiliar one. Dark eyes watched and assessed as only someone that's lived through the darker side of life would. It was eyes that Nikolas recognized every morning when he looked into the mirror: haunted and weary. "Do I know you?"

"No but I suppose I should introduce myself," he indicated with his head for them to move upwards toward the docks, giving Nikolas his back as a sign of faith.

"Who are you?"

"Name's Johnny," he offered with his hand. The night air blew out white from his lips as Nikolas shook his head and rejected the greeting. Fair enough. "I picked up your sister two weeks ago from a rather nasty place that she's got no business being at. Lulu shouldn't have been involved in whatever it is that she's involved in."

Caution hit Nikolas like a ton of bricks. "You the guy she said helped her escape the Zaccharas?"

Schooling his face to not reveal too much, "Yes but…"

"Thank you," Nikolas interrupted sincerely, offering his hand now. "I appreciate that you…"

"I'm Johnny Zacchara," he interrupted with, wanting the brother not to have any misconceptions about him. Be up front and be straight, that's the only way he knew how to handle this whole damn thing. "I…" He didn't know how to explain himself without explaining all the complications that came with his life. "You're on your way to bail Lulu out of jail. Trespassing, right?"

"How'd you know that?" Nikolas demanded. "Are you watching my sister?"

"I wish I was; then I'd at least be able to protect her," Johnny answered honestly with a resigned sigh. "Look, I'm not going to lie. I like Lulu. I'd like her even better if she stays alive; and she improves her chances if she stays away from me."

Nikolas acknowledged that with a nod. You can't say much to such honesty. "If you're not watching her then how did you know that she's been arrested?"

"I saw it," he replied easily. "She asked me to meet her by the old train station. I was there when the cop showed up." He smiled remembering those peaceful moments alone with her. "Can I assume that your brother had her arrested to keep her safe?"

There was a bit of something in the man's eyes that Nikolas recognized well, again from experience. The boy was a goner if he ever saw one. "Yeah. Lulu's cousin Carly is missing. Someone kidnapped her out of the house they were staying at. Then we find out that Lulu ditched her guards." He made a face that conveyed his thoughts on his sister's impulsive act. "We're understandably concerned for Lulu."

Making a mental note about the cousin, Johnny nodded his head. "Talk to Lulu. Tell her to stay away from me."

"Why don't you?"

"I have," Johnny answered. "I've told her that being around me is dangerous."

"Then why don't _you_ stay away from her?"

It was at the tip of his tongue to answer that he would but he knew that if Lulu called, he wouldn't be able to say no. She was a temptation he had little defense against. "I can't. I don't know how unless she ask me to."

_"Yup, definitely a goner,"_ if it wasn't so ironic, Nikolas would laugh. "I'm going to keep Lulu on Spoon Island for the time being."

"But is it safe?" Johnny asked with a quick frown. "Any fortification can be penetrated given effort and time."  
"You sound like you've had experience."

"Taught from the cradle," Johnny replied with a touch of bitterness.

Nikolas felt a sudden empathy for the young man. He understand what it was like to be given a role from birth; to have one's life stripped away for that so-called duty. "I can protect my sister."

"Good," Johnny turned to walk away. "I'll see what I can find out about Lulu's cousin. Can we agree that this conversation never happened? I don't want Lulu to know that I've been in contact... It's better if she doesn't have any kind of connection to me."

"I can agree to that," Nikolas replied and watched Johnny walk away, disappearing into the darkness like he was part of the many shadows that occupy the pier. With a sigh, he shook his head. How his sister managed to get herself into this kind of…. What was he saying? Lulu is a Spencer. Getting into these kinds of things was inbred and as natural as breathing. _"Damn. A mobster is in love with my sister. Carly must be feeling the déjà vu all over again." _

-&-&-&-

"Nice digs," Carly commented dryly as she circled the small dank chamber. She ran her hand along the edge of the wood framed bed and made a tisking sound in disapproval as she rubbed the dust off her hand. "It's got a very dungeon feel to it. Could use a few more skeletons and stuff though." She was in full diva mode now; she had no intentions of making her own captivity comfortable for her jailers.

"I'm sorry the accommodations are not to your standards, Mrs. Corinthos. But allow me to assure you that your stay here will be limited and of short duration," Trevor Lancing smiled oily and gave her a mocking bow of reverence.

"Just as soon as Sonny gives you what you want, right?" Carly smiled in return, just as sincerely and with kind of amusement that could easily get under anyone's nerves. She was good at this game. She's had enough years to get it just right. "I wouldn't count on it, Mr. Lancing. Sonny doesn't cave so easily especially since we're no longer married. You might want to look up who his newest little play thing is; that might actually get you a bit more result." She continued to study the room a little more carefully then she was letting on. "By the way, any relation to Ric Lancing? You have that same kind of 'crawled out from under a rock' look around the mouth. Must be that whole beady-eye thing; dead give away."

Trevor's lips tightened at the mention of Ric's name but he didn't rise to the bait and Carly made a mental note of it. "Don't bother shouting, these walls are about five feet thick and made of solid stone. The building is off a dirt path and there are few residence in attendance. Those that are have taken a vow of silence and as far as they are concerned, you are being kept here for your own safety."

"Um…" she raised a brow at him and leaned back on the edge of the armoire. "So I'd get no reaction from them at all?" She smiled deviously, daring him to call her on it.

"They're monks," Trevor answered rather smugly.

"They're men," Carly clarified sweetly. She smiled again, goading him. There was no need for her to point out her appeal; anyone with eyes and a pulse can see it. And she could tell that though he attempted to hide it he was an appreciative audience.

Offering her the courtesy of an insincere smile and a mocking bow of respect, he backed out of the room slowly. "I shall be back in a few days with news."

"Don't hurry on my account," Carly called back, wiggling her perfectly manicured fingers in goodbye and rocking gently on her high heels, holding the grin until the door closed behind Trevor and his sunglass-wearing goon. Really, do all mobsters have to look like that? Once she was alone, Carly dropped the act and looked around her in earnest. If Trevor Lancing thought she was just going to sit back and wait on her pretty little rump for someone to come rescue her, he's got another thing coming. Mama Benson and Mama Spencer didn't raise a helpless damsel; the two fierce women installed in their daughter the instinct to survive. And Carly was most assuredly as scrappy survivor.

Kicking her heels off, Carly began a thorough examine the room with her hands and feet, looking for anything to give her an advantage. Physical contact with something can tell a person a lot more than just visual assessment. But the walls were exactly as Trevor said, thick and made of stone, cold and rough to the touch. The furniture in the room were old, antiques even; solid wood and heavier than hell. The rugs and blankets were of rough wool and handmade, the stuff you see in museums and walls of old ladies' homes. If Carly didn't know better, she would have thought that she was in a real dungeon.

"Monks," she muttered and shoved aside another tapestry, heavy and full of dust. "Where the hell would there be monks in the area? We didn't take a plane so we have to be still in the states." Now she wished she had paid more attention to those history of the states reports that Michael did for school.

Taking off her jacket, Carly shoved her weight against the bookcase, hoping that it would move enough for her to see behind it but not topple over; she didn't want to alert her guards of her movements quite yet. Nothing but stone. "Okay," she took a deep breath and wished she'd visit the gym more often, "the armoire then." And went to work moving the damn thing aside. Nothing but stone. "Damn," and rubbed her feet against a heavy rug she had overturned. It was a cold room with nothing to heat it but a merrily burning fire in a stone fireplace. A pile of chopped wood was piled against the wall next to it, precariously close. She walked closer and moved some of the wood away. She was insane sometimes but she had no intentions of setting the room on fire in hopes of escape, accidental or not.

Putting down a rug in front of the fireplace, she prepared herself for a long night and a hungry stomach. She assumed that they'll feed her but she can't imagine that it'll be anything remotely edible, not to her palette anyways. But she'll eat it to keep her strength up and for a chance to use whatever is on there to her…

The crackling wood popped and the sparks flash in all directions, including toward the back of the massive stone hearth… disappearing into the darkness beyond.

"What the hell…." She tilted her head and batted the flames again, sparking the fire with a poker. It flickered and revealed the hearth to be deeper than it looked… in fact, a lot deeper. "No way," she frowned and looked around the room for inspiration. Several gutted candles sat on candlesticks in the far end of the room and lanterns hung on walls. A handful of homemade wax candles hung from a basket by the doorway. Considering it a little, Carly got up to give herself a little more illumination. Lighting the candles one by one, she set them carefully about the room, placing several in a cluster over the mantle, making sure to use various sized candleholders.

A noise in the hall alerted her.

Slipping her feet back into her heels, she had just enough time to clean herself to the best of her ability without a brush or mirror before the door opened. A hooded robed man of approximately forty carried a tray silently into the room under the watchful eyes of the sunglass-wearing gangster-wannabe. Both seemed startled by the mood lighting.

"Room service; how nice," Carly smiled sweetly at them both then glanced around the room with a shrug. "The place needed a woman's touch."

The silent monk poured water from a wooden pitcher into a plastic cup.

"Why thank you. I've always depended on the kindness of strangers," she all but purred at the holy man. Carly sat with her long legs crossed every so sensually over the edge of the bed, keeping her slightly dirtied nails still over her knees tucked under each other. "Do come again soon. It gets so lonely down here all by my lonesome."

Never once meeting her eyes, the monk bowed in reverence and backed out of the room, studying the toes of his moccasins all the while. Noiseless as a tomb.

The goon shut the door with unnecessary speed.

Carly frowned and got up again. "Well, at least one of them showed interest. Haven't lost all my touch," she kicked off her shoes again and regarded the tray with interest. She was hungry. Hadn't eaten since breakfast. The crusty bread, hot soup and water wasn't gourmet but it was at least not horrible. She ate slowly, chewing thoughtfully as she watched the flames in the fire slowly die down. Eating what she could, she left the tray by the door, lining up the water cup and pitcher closest to the entrance with the spoon and buttering knife in it; it was a flimsy make-shift alarm she'd learn watching some old movies with her kids but it would do the trick.

"Okay Carly, time to see what we can do," she gave herself a nod and opened the armoire. Taking out the old robes from inside, she stuffed all but one into one another and created a dummy in the bed, covering it carefully with a thick wool blanket. Searching around and finding no shoes, she kicked off her heels and carefully rip apart a thinner cover with some difficulties. Layering them carefully, she wrapped her slightly frost bitten feet, tying the make-shift shoes around her ankle with thinner strips fastened together. They were ugly but warm and they weren't heels that she couldn't run in.

Next, she sorted the pile of wood by the mantle, keeping an eye on the fire while she was at it. It was slowly dying down, no longer giving off as much heat as she wish it would but there was no help for it. Picking up several smaller pieces, she pitched one after another through fireplace opening, listening for the sound of it hitting stone and throwing them progressively harder as she went. After eight pieces, Carly decided that it was a tunnel and not just a hole in the wall. _"Good, that makes things more interesting."_

With a sigh, she braced herself for the next step. Pulling the remaining robe over her head for warmth and disguise, she wrapped up her heels and the remaining two unlit fresh candles in another blanket and slung it sideways over her shoulders, tying it across her front. _"The Boy Scouts of America has got nothing on me."_

Grinning, she checked the fire again. It was down to embers now. With a thick piece of firewood, she beat the embers until they were but glittering crumbs on the ground. Picking up the remaining pieces of wool from her shoemaking efforts, she wrapped three pieces of wood in them and gathered them up in her arms. With one last look around the room, checking all the components of her escape, she grabbed a candle from the back of the cluster on the mantle with a wide base. "And here we go," ducking her head and crawling into the fireplace.

The candle gave little light but was enough to show her the way. Turning about, she dropped the wool wrapped firewood onto the hot embers, watching as the dry materials smoldered in the heat. Touching her candle to the wool, it caught quickly and licked merrily at the wood. Within minutes, a cheerfully little fire disguised the tunnel again. Carly looked about and picked up the pieces she had thrown to test the darkness and tossed those onto the fire as well.

With nothing left to do now but make a run for it, Carly turned around and took a deep breath. _"You can only depend on yourself now, girl. No turning back."_ Nodding her head in resolution, she plunged into the unknown.

_To be continued…_

So.... what do you think? Too many characters now?


	26. Two Sided

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary**: Nikolas goes to see Luke, Liz gives Lucky a surprised, Logan comes clean with Coop and Jason gets a hold of Johnny just as Claudia finds Carly.

**Timeline**: I think we're still stuck in late 2007… possibly early 2008. But does it really matter? Is anyone actually keeping track of the year, month or day?

**Author's Note**: Ahhh…. Why did not let Lucky and Liz get back together! Why??? Maybe they're setting up Rebecca and Lucky so that they can use that to make Nikolas and Liz jealous. Then Liz can finally take action and get her man back? Maybe? _Please? __**Pretty Please?**_

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 26 – Two Sided**

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"I need leverage and a bargaining chip," Jason announced with a kind of finality that didn't sound good to even Spinelli. "I need you to find someone for me."

Swallowing the sudden fear for this mentor, Spinelli nodded his head slowly. "Your grasshopper will endeavor to comply with his master's wishes. What person of interest does Stone-Cold wish to seek?"

Jason watched the kid for a moment, wondering how it came to be that he would be replying on one such as he to help him with the current crisis. And it was a crisis of a magnitude he didn't want to consider too closely. Carly was missing. She had fallen into their enemies' hands again. And this wasn't going to be like before, there wasn't going to be anyone there to protect her the way the smitten Lorenzo Alcazar had done. Which means that the sooner Jason got her back, the safer it was for everyone involved. _"And the sooner I find her, the sooner we can resolve this… this thing between us."_

"Stone-Cold?" Spinelli asked in trepidation.

"Find out if there's anyone close to Anthony Zacchara: wife, girlfriend, daughter… wait, he had a daughter. Alcazar said she and her father don't get along so you can forget about her. I need someone can I use to trade for Carly." He didn't like resorting to this but he will.

Spinelli, who had been quietly researching the Zacchara family since they heard of them, volunteered a tentative, "There's a son."

"What?"

The sharpness in Jason's eyes gave the usually oblivious Spinelli pause. "John Anthony Zacchara, spawn of Anthony James and Maria Zacchara."

"John Zacchara," Jason repeated, remembering a scene in a cheap motel just outside of town. "Can you get me a picture of him?"

"Several in fact," he violently punched in some keys and turned his screen around as several newspaper clipped shots popped up simultaneously. They all were centered on a young handsome man of dark coloring but fair complexion, with eyes that watched the world with a caution born of instinct.

Jason cursed viciously under his breath. He had been hoping for someone he didn't recognize but luck was not with him. If the Zaccharas had Carly, Johnny Zacchara would be a very effective bargaining chip. And if they didn't, Claudia Zacchara might be persuade to work a little harder on finding Carly if she thought her little brother was in danger. Either way, Johnny was a good ace in the hole. Picking up his jacket, "Go back to your apartment and continue that search on the finances. I want a report ASAP; get Stan to help you but don't step on his toes." If he heard one more word about the two hackers, Jason was going to have consider shooting someone.

Startled by the abruptness of his dismissal, "Where are you going, Stone-Cold? Does the master not require the location of the devil's spawn?"

"No," he answered curtly. "I have another way to get to him," though he does wonder if Lulu had the same kind of loyalty that her cousin does. If so, getting her to cooperate was going to be a great deal more difficult than he wished it to be. _"Why does it always have to be Spencers?"_

-&-&-&-

The phone shrilled and Claudia frowned at it and made a mental not to change that damn ring tone then cursed when she saw who it was. Pulling her car to the side of the road because she did not need the hassle of being pulled over for driving and answering her cell phone at the same time – especially with several illegal weapons in the trunk of her car – she picked it up. "You better have something for me by now."

"Two things," said the no-nonsense male voice on the other end. "One, your father wasn't involved. I've got nothing on any of the taps and no one has been moved from their usual spots. We can nix that idea right now."

"So it's Trevor's show then," Claudia bit down on a curse and shook her head. It was yet something else she'd have to look into and file away for reference to use at a later date. Chances are good that this isn't the first time the lawyers made moves on his own She was going to have to handle that man soon. "Got a location for me?"

"That's two," spoken in the same monotone, "I think there may be a possible location but it's going to be hard for you to check it."

Claudia smirked. "There's not a place on earth I can't break into; Uncle Rudy made sure of that."

"It's a Franciscan monastery."

For a moment, Claudia actually thought her usually humorless point man was joking her with; then she remembered who she was dealing with right now. She blasphemed. "That bastard."

"He knows you," came the reasonable explanation.

"Not well enough," she muttered angrily. If breaking a religious sanctuary will protect her baby brother, that's what she will do despite her own distaste in the matter. She wasn't a fanatically religiously woman like her mother but Claudia has a healthy respect for the people that's dedicated their lives to the holy calling. Plus monks were near saints in Claudia's book, especially Franciscan ones. "I'm going to kill that man." And she fully planned on it too. Just as soon as she's confirmed that it was safe for Johnny for her to do so. "Where is it?"

"Coast line, a hundred and sixty miles west of your current address. I'm sending you the location now." Her phone chirped sweetly. "Oh, and I've added the schematic of the place. That PDA phone is finally coming into use."

"Told you," she couldn't stop herself from saying.

There was a soft grunt from the other end. "Good luck."

"Keep digging," she replied in lieu of a goodbye. She's got work to do. With a smooth roar of a well tuned diesel engine, she was off.

-&-&-&-

"So, it must be in the Spencer genes to attract the most inappropriate people into your lives," Nikolas greeted his mother's most beloved husband in the universe.

Luke lowered his newspaper slowly and regarded the Cassadine Prince with a raise brow of curiosity. It wasn't a surprise to see Nikolas there given Emily recent announcement that he and her former husband have reconciled but this was the first time he's sought Luke out of his own accord. "Not that I don't agree with you but that was kind of out of the left field, even for you. Care you tell me why the sudden observation?"

"I had a face-to-face with one of Lulu's admirers last night," helping himself to coffee from the sideboard. It was thick as mud and twice as strong as it ought to be… just as doctors and anyone else in the medical profession takes it.

"Which one? Artsy, Brawny or Crazy?"

"Johnny." Nikolas gave himself a moment to savior the caffeine laced liquid of the gods as he braced himself for the explosion. "Johnny Zacchara."

Whatever it was that Luke had been prepared for, _that_ had certainly not been it. "What the hell are you talking about?" half out of his seat already.

"The Zacchara heir apparent decided to pay me a little visit last night while I was on my way to pick up Lulu." Nikolas made a face just remembering the conversation and his exasperation that followed. "Seems _he_ was the one that grabbed Lulu while she was trying to escape the Zacchara compound."

Blinking a moment as he processed it, "Are you saying that Zacchara's kid helped my princess escape?" the disbelief was… well, this was an interesting turn of events. And Luke was certain that he didn't like it at all.

"Yes," Nikolas waited for Luke's eyes to pop back into his head before adding, "And he came to see me for the specific purpose of asking me to help keep Lulu away from him."

"Excuse me?" one more shock and he was likely to have a heart attack right then and there.

"Lulu has a bad habit of attracting young men without any effort on her part. And now Johnny Zacchara has got himself caught in her web. He won't…" he considered Johnny words to him last night and shook his head. "He _can't_ say no to her, nor can he stay away from her if she wants to see him. And Lulu is apparently not too good about keeping her distances."

Luke almost groaned in pain. "Oh for crying out loud." He did not want to see this happening. It was him and Laura… all over again. Just the thought of it was extremely painful. "Is he in love with her?"

Nikolas sighed rather resignedly. "I think so."

Chuckling, "Recognized that look in the mirror, huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "Lulu is on the island and the guards have been notified not to let her onto a boat. If you want to see her…"

"I know where to find her," he grinned and stood up. "Emily is upstairs arguing with her grandfather about his heart medication. I wouldn't go up if I were you."

Glad for the information, "I'm having Lucky, Liz and Cameron over for dinner tomorrow night. Family gathering for Lulu." He hesitated but issued the invitation anyways. "It would be nice if you can join us."

Surprised by the request, Luke smiled. It wasn't his usual devil-may-care kind of sticking-it-to-the-man kind of grin. It was a genuine happiness that he usually only received for Laura and their kids. "Thank you, I would love to join you. You might have to restrain me from strangling my daughter but it would still be nice to see her."

Grinning, Nikolas nodded with perfect understanding.

-&-&-&-

The din of the police station had little impact on Lucky as he reviewed the notes from the other officers at crime scene. A night at the hospital followed by an hour with Cruz's devout mother had Lucky aching from head to toe and exhausted both physically and mentally. And he still had a ton to paperwork to get through.

"How is he?"

Lucky answered without looking up. "He's holding his own. The doctors are optimistic but it's going to be a while before we know for sure."

"Has it woken up yet?" someone else asked.

That was the hard one. "No."

The silence followed. "We're praying for him, man."

"Thanks," he answered finally looking up at the two patrolmen that had stopped by before their shift to speak with Cruz's partner. They were young, these two; younger than Lucky had been when he joined the force. Probably entered the academy right out of high school and hasn't even turned twenty-one yet. And here they are, guns at their hips and facing a city that was partially run by the mob. Worse of all, Lucky couldn't even tell them who the bad guys were. He wasn't sure of it himself. "Be careful out there."

The two nodded their appreciation and headed toward the car bay for their patrol vehicle. It was going to be another day of searching for the bastard that ran down one of their own. And they were determined to find the guy.

Turning back to the half written report Cruz had been working on, Lucky signed the report and decided to plow through the work as if he's life depended on it. And it did. He told Cruz's brother that he'd wait for answers from him but he didn't want to just sit there and do nothing while the bastard that put his partner in a coma ran around free. Not that he suspects that Enrico Rodriguez was going to go easy on the guy once he gets his hands on him… but still. It was the principle of the thing.

"Hey Spencer!"

"What?" he growled irritably. There was way too much paperwork involved in police business. How annoying….

"You've got visitors!" There was a splatter of chuckles across the squad room.

"What the hell are you…" then stopped himself when a grinning Liz came into the room, partly restraining the eager Cameron from charging across the bullpen. "Cam!"

Wrenching his hand from his mother's, Cameron launched himself into his father's open arms with loud, "DADDY!" eliciting laughter from the rest of the room.

Bringing the boy to his shoulder, Lucky leaned over and pressed a quick affectionate kiss to Liz's cheek, causing a roar of approval to erupt. "Don't you people have work to do?" Lucky shouted with a grin as he guided his family to the interrogation room for some much needed privacy. "Not that I'm not happy to see you both but what are you guys doing here?" as soon as the door was closed.

Liz leaned up and pressed her lips to Lucky's for a moment, enjoying the intimacy until her son tugged on her hair. "You didn't come home last night and I was worried."

"I'm sorry. Things are a little crazy right now. Didn't you get my message?"

"I did, that's why I was worried," she took Cameron from him and sat the child down on a chair. "How's Cruz?"

"Holding his own," Lucky said, moving over to the table so he could fold her into his arms without ignoring their son. "Em is cautious but thinks that it's looking pretty good. She stayed with me part of the night in Cruz's room until his mother finally arrive from Boston. We're all taking turns checking in on Cruz and his mom."

"I'll stop by later and see if I can find out anything that you guys are not privileged to," she smiled and touched his unshaven cheeks. "You look tired. Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

He sighed and turned his face into her hand, pressing his lips against her palm for a moment. Her presence calmed him. "This thing is going to be ugly. I want you and Cam to be very careful when you go out, okay?"

"What do you mean?" she looked at him with wide curious eyes.

Glancing at the window to the station, he sighed. "I can't talk about it here."

Eyes narrowing, Liz watched his face and saw the lines of sorrow and stress there. "Can you come home tonight? I'll make dinner and we can talk."

"You're suppose to be resting," he reminded her.

"I'm better now," she replied cheerfully, "Because you have taken such great care of me lately. How about you let me return the favor for a change?" her smile was shiny and her gently seductive look a little hard to resist. She tightened her hold on him a little. "Come on… you know you could probably use something other than take-out and bad station coffee. I'll make lasagna," she offered.

"I don't want you slaving over a hot stove for me," he kissed her forehead with a laugh.

"Mac and cheese?" she suggested, to which Cameron cheered. "Oh, I see we have a fan."

"That kid will eat anything in cheese," Lucky frowned and shook his head.

"Just like his father," Liz pointed out with a grin. "Speaking of which…" reaching around her husband for her purse.

"What?" trying to twist about to see what she was after.

The envelope was thick and slightly crinkled from how hard she had been clutching them. "Paper for you to review and sign. Diane said you might want to find a lawyer to review them but…"

"What is it?" pulling the thick stack of legal paper out. "What's this?"

She waited for his eyes to find the printed words. "Adoption papers."

Lucky's froze in that second and his breath caught in his throat.

"I didn't see any need to waste any more time," she murmured softly, watching his eyes glisten. She felt the same way. "What do you say, Daddy? Ready to make this official?"

Sniffling a little, he laughed and hugged her tightly, one arm reaching out to enfold Cameron into this familial moment. Perfection was the only word to describe the moment. Then he asked the very simple and logical question of, "Where's the pen?"

-&-&-&-

"You have any idea what they're saying about you on the streets?" Logan asked without ceremony as he dropped himself into the seat across from his best friend. Jake's was a good place for breakfast but lousy for anything else but drinks. And right now, he didn't need a drink. "What the hell are you eating?"

"I think it's a burrito," Coop muttered then went back to the tasteless concoction. Actually, everything was pretty tasteless these days. "I'm exhausted Logan, what do you want?"

"I heard about the hit and run. They caught the guy yet?"

"Nope."

"Let me guess, you were out all night looking for him. Probably haven't gotten any sleep yet either."

"Yep."

"That would explain why you didn't know about Lulu being arrested last night."

That finally got Cooper's attention. "What?"

Logan grinned rather wolfishly. "Central holding for about an hour before her brother, the Prince, bailed her out."

"What was she arrested for? Why didn't Detective Spencer…"

"Well, that's pretty simple to answer. One, _Detective_ Spencer was busy; what with his partner being almost killed and all. Two, he was probably the one that arranged for Lulu to be arrested; no charges were filed of course. Three, reason being that she snuck out of Carly Corinthos' house without any guards to protect her. Four, Carly Corinthos is currently missing, taken right out of her own home, so you can see how they might panic a little. And oh yeah… they think the Zaccharas did it."

The fork clattered onto the plate.

"Yeah," Logan nodded almost sympathetically.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Too much apparently and not enough of it is under control," Logan grumbled with a shake of his head. He's been putting out fielders for about a week and nothing has bitten so far. ADA Lancing was gnashing at the teeth for something to happen and Logan is about fed up with that whiny man's demands. If not for the sake helping Cooper, he'd up and walk away. "And didn't you hear about what I said about there being talk about you?"

"I heard you," he replied sourly. And there ought to be. Cooper's been doing overtime getting his name a little trashed and bantering about his lack of cash. So far, no go. All it's earned him was a relocation of place of residence (plus he couldn't stand seeing Georgie's accusing eyes anymore) and offers of loans from his fellow rookie cops. "And relax, I've got it handled."

"Everyone is whispering how you might be ripe for a bribe," Logan informed him unnecessarily.

Cooper sighed. _"That's the idea."_ He pushed the unappetizing meal away and rubbed his tired face. All he really wanted now was a shower and a quick shave before he headed back to the station. Nothing like extra shifts to convince people that you're strapped for cash. "Is that all?"

Studying him, Logan frowned. "Are you trying to trash your rep?"

"I don't really care about my rep."

That didn't make any sense. "What are you up to, Coop?"

"Nothing you want to be involved in," Cooper answered honestly. He may not like Logan butting into his life like this but he did appreciate that his friend wanted to help.

"Well, you might be wrong about that," Logan replied with a frown. "This have anything to do with the…" he glanced around the empty bar, "With the Metro Court thing?"

It always came back to that. "Partly, but that's not all of it. Don't worry about it. I've got it handled."

"Yeah, like you had Maxie Jones handled," Logan muttered then winced. He's got to tell him. He couldn't keep this a secret from Coop. Besides, knowing Maxie, she was going to make sure Coop found out about it anyways and probably in the worse possible way. "Hey… I… I have to tell you something."

Since it didn't appear as if Logan was going to let him leave before saying his peace, Coop nodded toward the stairs. "Come up with me, I've got to get changed for work."

"You're pulling another shift?"

"I need the money," he answered simply.

This was really not what Logan was hoping to hear. Actually, he was hoping that the gossip was wrong about his friend. "Are you into something, Coop? If you are… Look, Corinthos pays pretty good and I've got some saved up for the rainy days; you know, like old Sgt. Campbell use to tell us. Most of the money went to my mother but if you need a loan to get you through…"

"I'm okay," Coop said seriously, turning to face Logan, looking him square in the eye. He may not want to tell him about what he was doing but he damn will could be upfront with Logan about everything else. "But I appreciate the offer."

Sighing in resignation, "The offer stands if you change your mind."

"Thanks," and continued up the stairs. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Logan waited until they got to Coop's new abode. "God, this place is a dump."

"It's a bed and a shower, I don't really care about anything else," Coop said dropping his jacket and shoes at the foot of the bed. Military habits forced him to clean up the place as best as he could given what little he had to work with. But the bed was clean and made with sharply laundered sheets. The floors were swept and everything else was about as Spartan as they get. It was enough for him. "And stop avoiding it. Just spit it out already."

Taking a breath, Logan braced himself but couldn't help but put it off just a tiny bit longer. Confession was good for the soul but a punch in the face was not. "Maxie is out to make trouble for you."

"Like I didn't predict that already?" Cooper replied emotionlessly. At the moment, he really couldn't give a damn. Nothing Maxie does could possibly be worse that the mess he's already made of his life. Maybe if the truth came out, he could finally put some distance between himself and this godforsaken town… and a girl he had no rights to. "What did she do?"

"Nothing yet," Logan replied and took a tentative step back. If he remember basic training correctly, Cooper's got a mean right. "I um… I kind of played her game a bit… to keep her quiet for now."

Shirt half on and half off, Coop turned with narrowed eyes to ask, "What does that mean: 'play her game?'"

Sometimes when he gets that look in his eyes, Coop was kind of scary. Logan took another half a step back. "She… she came to see me the other night. Was a little… angry. And in a mood. She wanted to bite back and I… I let her."

Cooper stood there a full minute and let Logan's sideway talk sink in. "You slept with her." Surprisingly himself with the bluntness.

He almost winced outwardly but managed not to. It wasn't that he was ashamed… okay maybe a little ashamed but not guilty… okay maybe just a little. "Yeah," and he could at least say that he wouldn't lie about it.

"You think she'll tell?" he asked curiously, a little appalled of himself by the fact that he didn't particularly care that his best friend just told him that he slept with Maxie. Did that mean that what he had with Maxie wasn't real? That he was with her simply to placid her? That was not a side of himself he liked to acknowledge.

"She didn't choose me for my looks, Coop. She knew it would hurt you."

"I meant about the Metro Court thing."

A little thrown by how calm Coop was, Logan frowned and tried to keep up with Cooper's train of thoughts. "Out of vengeance for sure. Yeah, I think she'll talk just to stir up the trouble."

It never occur to Coop that Logan would be willing to put himself out there for him. Logan always came off arrogant, selfish even. Except in Iraq. On those foreign soils, Logan was all about the unit. He would live and die for his fellow soldiers and proved it on more than one occasion. That was the Logan Hayes that Cooper Barrett called a friend. And that was the one standing in front of him; not the mobster he had be… _"Wait a second,"_ his eyes narrowed as pieces of what he understood about his friend fell into place. "Logan, why are you with Corinthos?"

"What?" now really thrown for a loop. This conversation wasn't going anywhere he could have conceived. "What are you talking about?"

"Why are you really with Corinthos' people? They're not exactly your usual hang out group."

"Easy money and a life of excitement, what could be so bad about that?" he did not like where this is going now.

"You're from Texas. You don't go with easy money," Cooper replied with careful words. "This doesn't exactly match what I know about you from before… and I'm sorry to say that I never even questioned it until now. Maybe it's because I've been viewing you through my own tainted sense of the world but… something about you doesn't add up right."

Oh this is definitely not good. "Coop…"

"Don't whore yourself out to Maxie just to save me, Logan," Coop informed him in no uncertain terms. "If you're sleeping with her for your own pleasures, that's fine. I've got no beef over that. Maxie and I are done; who she sleeps with doesn't bother me." He looked Logan in the eye to forced him to accept what he was saying. "But don't do it if you're just trying to protect me; I don't want that. And while I appreciate you wanting to help me, I'll deal with my own messes when they come my way."

Logan wasn't sure how he was suppose to react. He'd gone through it so many times in his own head, and none of it had come out like this. Cooper Barrett, despite his mistakes in the past, was a good guy. And a friend. Logan Hayes has very few friends and he means to take care of the ones that he does have. "Coop…"

"I'm in a lot of trouble Logan," Coop admitted with a sigh as he grabbed his towel. "And I do not want to drag you into it."

"I think it's a little too late for that," Logan said as he sat down on the bed. Maybe it was time to come clean. Then they can work on how to get Coop's life back on track again. That's what friends do for one another. "Take your shower. When you're done, I'm going to tell you what I've been up to since I got to town."

-&-&-&-

It was like something about a vision: stone castle encircled with thick hundred year old trees sitting on top of a cliff that overlooked the pale blue sea. If Claudia had to hand pick a place she would situate a monastery, she couldn't have dreamed up of a more perfect location. It was breath taking. And it boiled her blood to think that Trevor had tainted this holy place with his darkness.

"You're going to burn in hell, Trevor. I'll make sure of it," Claudia muttered under her breath as she pulled the schematic of the place up. "Let's see what we have."

The building itself was an architectural masterpiece. Stone and mortar, not a nail in sight. Which meant that scaling it was going to be near impossible without some serious equipment, and you can't do it quietly. With the sheer drop off down the side of the cliff, even the best of the best would think twice about attempting it.

"More than one way to break into a bank," Claudia commented as she began a slow track around the building, looking for something to work with. "Let's see now. Monks, bells, stone wall…. What am I missing here?"

She frowned as a vague memory of something tickled at the back of her mind. She picked up her earpiece and dialed out. "Ronny."

"Claudia. What can I do for you, my darling?"

"East coast Franciscan monastery, just north of upstate New York. Weren't they use for something other than sanctuaries for a while? And I'm not talking the underground railroad here."

There was a pause. "Pirate hiding holes."

"What?" as she continued to explore the outside.

"Bootleggers." The sound of keys being punched were heard through the ear piece. "If I'm not mistaken, bootleggers would use those seaside places to hide their illegal goods. The cliffs make for good sea entrances without detection. My guess, you'll find some kind of opening further down that'll lead to underground tunnels use for smuggling. Try those."

"Um… thanks," she didn't like enclosed places.

"No problem. Anything else?"

"You and Randy talk about flying to Switzerland yet?"

"I don't fly, darling. You know this."

"So Randy will go then."

"Yes, I'll talk him through the hard stuff."

"Thank you, Ronny. Wire yourself a nice bonus on me."

"I'd rather take it from Trevor Lancing," Ronny noted rather calmly.

"Take it when you find it," Claudia replied. "And take a nice big chunk of it."

"Will do. Good luck."

"Thanks," she pocket the earpiece and began her descent.

-&-&-&-

Johnny stared at the dark waters and didn't move a muscle when he heard the footsteps behind him. He didn't really care to be honest. When no one said anything after a good three minutes he finally turned and almost wish he hadn't. Jason Morgan stood there like a dark demon simply waiting. To be honest, Johnny had been expecting him long before this. It was actually kind of a surprise that it took this long.

"Can I help you?"

"You need to stay away from her," tilting his chin a fraction toward the waters and the island just beyond sight.

Dark eyes followed, toward the stretch of water that separate him and _her_. This was the third time in so many hours that he's stood there. It was harder than he thought. He acknowledged the advice with a nod. "That's why I'm standing _here_, where she is not."

"Where's Carly?" getting to the point.

"I don't know," he answered tiredly. It was an honest response. He's spent a good deal of the day looking for the answer to that question, for _her_ sake. Carly Corinthos was important; importantly enough that Johnny would know if she had been taken to the house.

"Someone you know does."

"I'm pretty sure of that too, but it's not the Zaccharas." He didn't give up Trevor yet, not until he was damn sure. "I promised _her_," nodding toward the water again, "that I'd help if I could."

"Good," taking a step closer. He motioned toward the docks. "Let's go."

"What?"

"You said you'd help if you could, so let's go."

Johnny stared for a moment, incomprehension clouding his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You for Carly. Let's go."

"I just told you that the Zacchara's don't have Carly Corinthos."

"And I'm telling you that someone you are connect to does. We're going to do a nice easy trade. You for Carly. Let's go."

The gun in Jason's hand was a good incentive for Johnny to move. He did offer a quick, "This may not work, you know. We're not the only ones that Corinthos needs to be watching out for. And it's not like I'm that important on the grand scale of things." And considering his family history, it wasn't a complete lie.

"You better hope that you are important enough for your father to start doing business one way or another." Jason nodded toward the dark sedan. "Get in."

Shrugging his shoulder, Johnny merely sighed and got into the car then smiled grimly at the two goons in black in the front seats. "Oh this is going to be fun."

-&-&-&-

"I hate dirt," Claudia muttered under her breath as she put her fingers into the side of the cavern and pulled out the Maglite she'd stuck into the back of her pants. "And what's worse than dirt?" she made a face, "Cobwebs." She hit it with her flashlight. "Dirt filed cobwebs," she amended and shook her head. "I'm going to need a head to toe scrub down when this is over." She sighed and rolled her eyes, mentally hearing her mother. _"Stop it, Claudia. You're whining now. Zaccharas don't whine. We get even."_

When she finally got over her own form of insanity, Claudia squared her shoulders and began a crawling track through the dark hole on the side of a cliff. The cave had been situated in such a way that had she not been looking for it, she would have missed it completely. Overgrown shrubs had all but obscured the opening and she was just glad that they had been easy to navigate. Now she was slowly making her way to the underbelly of the monastery with every intentions of finding out some of Trevor Lancing's darker secrets.

And if she could get Carly Corinthos back and solidify that alliance with Lorenzo Alcazar, she's be one step closer to neutralizing Trevor Lancing and securing her brother's safety and future. As long as she remembered that she was doing this for Johnny, she could get through anything.

The darkness was almost oppressive and the cave was growing colder the deeper she traveled. The only sounds were of her own shuffling feet, the occasional sounds of the outside that were rapidly fading with distance and … something crackled.

She flicked the flashlight off and pressed her back to the wall. Something ahead was bringing light slowly forward. Muffled steps were slow but steady, as well as the sound of something burning.

"Ouch!" It was a woman's voice. "Damn it!"

Well, now that she knew that it wasn't 1) a monk and 2) a man; Claudia could not believe her luck. If she was correct…. "Carly Corinthos?"

"Who's there?" the candle was suddenly held higher, almost touching the low ceiling of the cavern. She was a tall woman, something Claudia hadn't been expecting. The pictures in the portfolio on the three times former missus Corinthos hadn't indicated just how tall she was and how much steel were in those eyes.

"My name is Claudia," withholding her connections for now. She didn't know how she was going to react to her name. Holding her hands up to show that she wasn't armed (which was a lie of course) and pointing the flashlight upwards, "I'm here to help you."

"Who are you?" she didn't trust easily; Claudia made of note of that. "Who sent you?"

The sharpness in Mrs. Corinthos eyes spoke of something, something Claudia could relate to: a life full of danger and pain. If taken into her inner circles, Carly Corinthos could be a powerful ally. But first she's got to win her trust. Which means doing something she wasn't use to, playing it straight. "I'm Claudia… Zacchara; and I don't work for my father or anyone under his control," she added very honestly. "He and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye about certain things."

"Like?" Carly asked.

_"Smart girl,"_ Claudia's lips curled a little in bitter amusement. "Like the way he treats my brother."

"What's your brother's name?"

"John," just the name was enough to bring a genuine smile to her face. "But he goes by Johnny these days."

"Johnny," Carly repeated with a frown. "This won't happen to be the same Johnny that rescued Lulu, is it?"

Surprised, "Who's Lulu?"

Carly cursed softly but the room was silent enough for Claudia to make it out. "If your father didn't send you, who did?"

"Lorenzo Alcazar," she informed the former Mrs. Alcazar. If she was surprised, she didn't show it through any action. "He and I are working out a deal… an alliance of a sort."

"Against?"

"My father and Trevor Lancing."

There was short and considerably tense pause. "Lancing," Carly muttered and finally lowered the candle a little. "Is this Trevor guy Ric Lancing's father?"

"Yes though I think Ric would prefer it otherwise," Claudia said quietly. The shields were lowering and she was sensing a change in the woman. She just wasn't sure what kind of change it was. Carly Corinthos was harder to read than she had expected.

"So what do you get out of this?" Carly wanted to know.

"I get to prove to Alcazar that I'm serious about taking Trevor Lancing down and I'll do whatever it takes to form that alliance needed to bring my father to his knees."

"That's an ambitious goal," Carly observed, as if she had all the time in the world.

"I'm an ambitious girl," Claudia admitted with a smile, "I'm too much like my father in that manner, though you will never hear me say that again in public."

Carly smirked. "Okay, I'll willing to go on a little faith here. But if you turn out to be a snake in the grass…"

"Don't worry, I know what will happen if I make a wrong move. This isn't my first time in this game." The two exchanged a curteous nod of understanding. It was as much as either one could hope for. "Come on then," motioning with her flashlight. "I've got a car three miles back. Didn't want anyone see me approach."

"How'd you find me?" Carly wanted to know as she followed cautiously.

"Wasn't easy," Claudia replied but didn't offer any details.

"I'll bet," was the only response as they made their way back through the tunnels that led out to the cliffs. "Is it cold outside?"

"A little nippy," Claudia informed her with a shrug. "I think what you have on will be enough to keep you warm."

"Brown was never my favorite," Carly replied with a disdainful look at the robe that she was currently sporting. "And why is it that monks always wore brown?"

"Because it's dull," Claudia guessed.

The two continued on with Claudia occasionally helping Carly over the more difficult spots on their climb to freedom. The mob princess grudgingly admit that she was impressed with Carly's endurance and resilience. And though she muttered general complaints about dirt and rocks, she never once stopped moving or never actually complained to Claudia about her discomfort. It sounded more like a habit of hearing herself then actually making conversation, for which Claudia was actually grateful for.

"So… how far are we from PC?"

"Two hours."

Carly nodded resignedly and followed Claudia through the woods, turning back only once to look at the monastery against the setting sun. She seemed pensive for a moment and Claudia imagined that she felt the same way she did: it was such a beautiful place to be used in this manner.

"I want to kill him," Claudia informed her in no uncertain terms.

"Trevor?" Carly got it with no problems. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"He took my family away," Claudia admitted with growing anger. "He made sure that I couldn't protect my brother when he needed me the most. For that alone, I'm going to kill him."

"But there are other reasons," Carly stated with a nod. She understood only too will the urge to right something so important. "Your arrangement with Lorenzo…"

Claudia was a woman, she knew how other women thinks. "It's business."

"I don't doubt that," Carly replied with no heat in her words. "I was going to ask that it entailed and whether I need to be careful with my boys."

"You and your kids are not part of this. This is business; I don't bring family into business. That's Trevor's trick."

Nodding her understanding, "I appreciate that. I'll talk to Sonny. If he can help…"

"I appreciate that."

"I can't promise anything though. Sonny is his own person and sometimes, that's a very difficult person to live with."

"I appreciate the effort," Claudia amended with a quick smile just as her phone rang. The number was unknown, which was unusual. "Hello?"

"This is Jason Morgan."

Claudia's step faltered. "How did you get this number?"

"How do you think?"

It didn't take a genius. Her hands tighten on the phone. "What do you want?"

"You have Carly."

"Is that what you want?"

"Your brother for Carly. One hour, pier nine."

"I need two hours," feeling herself panic, she grabbed Carly's arm. Carly's watched her with growing alarm.

"You have one."

"I can't make it in one," she argued, allowing her emotions to show. "I need at least two hour to make it back to Port Charles." In her mind, she could already see what he would have done to Johnny to get her number from him. Johnny was loyal, she didn't know how he grew up that way in that house but she could see it in his eyes when they spoke. He wouldn't have given up her number. "If anything happens to my brother…"

Carly's hands snatched the phone out of Claudia's with a strength that belied her fragile golden looks. "This is Carly Corinthos."

A long pause answered.

"Who is this?" Carly demanded.

"Carly?"

She couldn't believe it. "Jason?"

"Are you all right?"

"Did you just threaten someone?"

"Carly, are you all right?" each word was pronounced with a patience of fear.

"I'm fine, none the worse no thanks to Trevor Lancing. We'll talk about that later. Let Johnny go." Of all the lame brained things he could have done. She was free, for god sakes. And she was on her way home too. What is it about men?

"Carly…"

"Let him go, Jason." She said in that 'I am mother and you must obey' tone of voice she used on Michael and Morgan at times. "I'll be home in two hours. Be there." She clicked off the phone and grabbed Claudia's arm. "Let's go."

"If he has hurt my brother, I'm going to kill him."

"He didn't and you won't," Carly said, half dragging Claudia who was trying to keep up with Carly's mile long legs. "But I might." She looked around the dense forest. "Now where's your car?"

_To be continued…_

* * *

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Reviews?


	27. Whatever It Takes

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Carly does the unexpected, Enrico checks in and Johnny meets Luke.

**Author's Note**: I have very little to say right now, other than I have not been watching GH at all. Nothing on the show has entice me to return to watching it. Kind of sad, huh? I think I'm just going to keep writing this until done and we'll see at that point.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 27 – Whatever It Takes**

*****************************

"What do you mean she's gone?" Trevor raged dangerously.

"I let the monk in to get her plate and she was there. Then I let him in again to feed her again and she wasn't there, just a pile of clothes," the guard replied, half afraid for his life. He had known people that have disappointed Trevor Lancing. 'Had' being the operative word. "I never left my post, she didn't leave through the door."

Trevor cursed darkly. "That is a sealed chamber sixty feet below ground. Are you telling me that she had simply vanished into thin air?" the implications of this was not good. Carly Corinthos was his ace up his sleeve to get what he wanted. Now….

"I'm telling you what I know, sir. She didn't leave through the door and she did not get pass me."

Taking a breath and telling himself to calm down, "She couldn't have gotten far, not on foot. There's only one road leading out. Get out there and find her NOW!"

-&-&-&-

Carly's knuckled were painfully white. "Um… do you think that you can maybe slow down to somewhere under a hundred miles per hour?"

Claudia shifted gears and gunned the engine again over the rough dirt road.

"I'm just saying," Carly called over the roar of the car kicking up dirt, rock and gravel, "It might not be a good idea to get pulled over right now!"

That finally made it through the haze of anger, "Fine," Claudia muttered as she slowed down to the whiplash ninety mph over rough terrains and jammed her Bluetooth into her ear. "I have to make a phone call anyways."

"Go right ahead," Carly replied finally able to relax her death grip on the door handle and breathed a silent small sigh of relief. It was worse than riding with Jason when he's in a hurry… and there have been times when he's in a _real_ hurry.

Ignoring her, Claudia glanced at her phone and dialed out. "Randy, it's Claudia. Go ahead and deliver the package. And make nice donation for me, will you? Yeah… I know; just do it will you? Thank you."

"Can I use your phone?" Carly asked calmly as she watched the bumpy road ahead of them. "I need to check on someone."

Claudia handed over the phone and headpiece without a word.

One of the problems with having so much technology in her hands was that you hardly ever memorize phone numbers anymore. She called the one of the few numbers she did know by heart (though she's never questioned why). "It's Carly."

"Are you all right?" was the no nonsense response.

"Yes, your friend found me just in time," she replied honestly. "Thank you, Lorenzo."

The head of the Alcazar empire breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad."

"I need to check on my boys but I don't have the code to their secure line. Can you call Sonny and have him make sure the boys are okay?"

"I have people watching them. They're fine," he admitted though he had never intended for her to know about her secondary watchdogs. But he understood Carly's concerns and didn't mind reassuring her of the safety of her children. "I should have taken better care of _you_."

"I prefer that my boys are safe. I can take care of myself."

Smirking, Claudia nodded her head in agreement; unabashedly eavesdropping.

"Is Claudia with you now?"

"Ms. Zacchara and I are on our way back into town," Carly replied, letting him know she knew the whole layout of what's going on at the moment. "Jason's got her brother."

He made a rude noise in response to what he considered a bad move by Morgan. "Tell her that I'll see about his release."

"I'll handle it," Carly replied with a shrug. She wasn't going to argue the point with her ex husband about this. "How's Lulu? Is she all right?" knowing that he's probably got eyes on her too. She was beginning to appreciate his precautions now.

Lorenzo wasn't surprised by the question. "Her brothers have her holed up on Spoon Island. No indication that she's left or will be leaving any time soon. I've pulled my men from the island but they're watching the docks."

"I don't know whether that's good or not," Carly muttered with a sigh, "though I suppose it would be harder to get to her now."

"I think that was the idea." He didn't mention Lulu's security transgression. There was no need to worry Carly with details.

"Okay," she gripped the door again when Claudia took a turn without slowing, throwing up an impressive amount of dirt and uprooting several bushes in the process. "I better go before your new friend here gets us both killed with her NASCAR impression."

"I'm not going _that_ fast," Claudia griped.

Glancing over at the dash, "I thought we agreed to stay under a hundred miles per hour mark."

"We didn't agree to anything. You suggested and I momentarily agreed," but still slowed the car down. She was unnecessarily destroying too much of the landscape. There was something to be said about respecting your environment.

"Right," Carly shook her head, "Gotta go. I'm sure you'll be checking up on me so I'll see you later," she clicked off before Lorenzo could say anything more and handed the phone back. "Relax, Jason isn't going to hurt your brother; especially now that he knows for sure that I'm with you. You can slow down."

"Not really," Claudia informed in a rare show of sharing as she continued down the road at neck breaking speeds. "I'm going to assume that you didn't exactly waltzed out of that place Trevor had you in and that the guard isn't a complete moron. By now, they should have discovered your disappearance and is probably scouring the area. I've arranged for a little distraction but I doubt that's going to preoccupy Trevor for very long. I want to get you underground again before he refocuses back on you."

It made sense. "Where are you going to stash me?"

She gave Carly a surprised look. "I was going to leave that up to your Jason Morgan." She didn't take her eyes off the road as they hit pavement at a mind-numbing speed and peeled rubber on asphalt. Okay, it might actually be time to slow down now. "I assume that when he said that he was going to trade you for my brother that I was going to have to actually turn you over to him."

Curious now, Carly turned in her seat and regarded Claudia with an amused but interested look. "You think you can protect me better?"

"I know for sure that I can," Claudia scuffed and reduced the speed some more, hitting only ninety now. Cops tends to stick to paved roads. "At least I know that you would have never gotten snatched in the first place."

"That's good to know," she replied and stared out the window. She thought she kind of recognized the area now. "So what's the story with you and Trevor?"

"It's a long one and one that I don't like talking about, let's leave it at that."

"Fair enough. So what are you looking to gain? You going to try your hand at leading the business?"

"Not unless I have to," Claudia glanced at the clock on the dash. "Right now, I'm just looking to make sure that my father and Trevor don't do more damage than they already have. Underneath everything that we do, this is simply a very lucrative business."

"Lucrative business," Carly repeated with a nod.

"My father is crazy, certifiably so. And he's dangerous; there isn't a moral line in the world that he won't cross… mostly because he's crazy. Trevor is… smart _and_ evil, but he's not crazy. Which makes him almost more dangerous than my father." Claudia stared at the road ahead of them. "They've been expanding in the last five years, slowly so not to attract too much attention but you can see it when you look. And they're moving into Port Charles."

"Sonny and Lorenzo aren't going to let that happened."

Claudia laughed, it was angry and bitter. "They're not exactly asking for permission in case you haven't noticed. What did you think you were for?"

"It's not like we haven't see this before."

"With your two exes you mean?"

"Doing your homework, I see?"

"Always," Claudia replied with no shame. "But not so I can move in."

"So why are you…"

"Same reason you are in this, I've got a stake in there that's beyond money and business."

Carly understood it instantly. "Your brother."

"Blood," Claudia replied softly. "It's thicker than anything."

"But your father and Trevor…"

"Trevor is greedy and bad. My father is just plain insane."

"And they're not above using family, are they?"

"You are prime example." She didn't get into Johnny's stuff… not yet, and not unless she has to. Those are wounds she would prefer never to open for him again.

"Okay then," Carly considered this carefully, her mind churning with what she's just learned. If Zacchara and Lancing are willing to cross lines that were established for a reason, there's no telling just how far they will take this territory war. And she's got a family to protect. "What's it going to take to make this go away?"

Claudia glanced over and briefly wondered what was going through Carly's mind. You don't become the wife of two mobster kingpins without learning a few tricks along the way. "My father institutionalized and Trevor Lancing completely and thoroughly neutralized."

Carly made a face. "Oh, is that all?" she sighed and considered her options, of which there aren't many. "If, and that's a big if, you were to take over the organization, what would stop you from going forward with your father's plans to expand."

"With two established bosses in the area holding court, I'd be an idiot to try to move in. It's illogical to try to get a foothold here when there are much easier pickings elsewhere. Lancing's got an agenda, not sure what it is yet, and it's got nothing to do with business. I want to know what it is and how I can use it again him."

"Leave that to me," Carly offered quietly as she considered the happening around her. She's been holed up for a few months now, hiding from Jason and the rest of the world in an effort to protect herself and her family. Maybe it hadn't been the smartest move on her part. She needed to stay alert, to stay involved and to stay one step ahead of everyone else. It was time to stop hiding and take control again. "I'll get you what you need to take on Trevor if you can guarantee safety for my kids. No war."

"I can't do that unless I can wrestle control of the organization from my father," Claudia answered honestly as she processed what Carly Corinthos was offering in trade. "But that's my problem to deal with."

"So…"

"So I'll handle the business end from the mob front," Claudia concluded.

"And I'll handle the personal end on the Lancing side," Carly added with a raised brow.

"We keep the families, your kids and my brother, out of this whole thing," Claudia pointed out.

"And Sonny and Lorenzo keep their shirts on," Carly liked this idea more and more.

"And we all live happily ever after?" Claudia asked with a 'are you sure?' look.

Carly gave her a quick amused smile. "I won't go _that_ far."

-&-&-&-

"She's safe?"

"For now," Lorenzo set down the phone and let out a breath of relief before turning to face his friend and confidant. "Where have you been?"

"Around town," Enrico answered cryptically.

If it was anyone else, and if it was under any other circumstance, Lorenzo would have undoubted not allowed that kind of response. But this was Enrico and he's been through a lot with him, more than even his own brother has. And these were not usual circumstances under which they now find themselves in. "I heard."

Hands pausing at the liquor cabinet, Enrico gave himself a second or two and considered his options. Lorenzo was no fool, he kept a close eye on things from the ground up; there was a reason he ruled an empire that rivaled any those warriors of old he reads about. And Lorenzo wasn't like his father or brother, there was brilliance there that belied the careless manner he handled his men at times. Lying to the man would not be a wise move, even for him. "It has nothing to do with…"

"We both know that is not true, my friend." Lorenzo sat down and allowed Enrico his peace. It didn't take a lot to see that Enrico was uncomfortable to these half truths he's been telling him lately. "Have they approached you yet?"

Enrico would love to know how his boss could have predicted that so quickly. "They don't usually approach the higher ups until…"

_("Have they approached you?")_ Lorenzo asked again in the language that spoke of their journey together through the tougher years.

"Si," he admitted reluctantly, "with a warning."

"You should have told me," Lorenzo replied with disapproval, wondering where they had gone off track with this friendship of theirs. "You should have come to me with this."

"I wasn't even tempted," Enrico answered honestly with a sigh.

"That's not the point," Lorenzo countered with a glare at his obtuseness. "We could have put someone on him. We could have protected him. He is family: _your_ family. We protect our own."

It was more than enough for Enrico and another reason he was loyal; even his own father would have not done the same thing for his blood. Grateful, "He is a detective with the police. And while most of that department is about as useful at solving crimes as the gum at the bottom of their shoes, _he_ is much more perceptive."

"_He_ is in a coma." Lorenzo didn't pull any punches here. He needed his friend to face something real and painful.

The muscles across Enrico's jaw tightened.

"I put Eddie and Paul at the hospital," Lorenzo informed him as he poured himself a drink, "They'll let you know when he wakes. I've made sure his mother is situated and the bills will be forwarded to me… under another name of course, I'll take care of the little things; you take care of the bigger things," he gave his friend quick significant look. "They've crossed the line with this and I want them brought back down. Do what you have to, my resources are at your disposal. Do whatever it takes and at your own discretion, but finish this fast."

Enrico didn't thank him; it would have offended Lorenzo had he done so. Touching his glass to the head of the Alcazar family's, he tossed back the throat burning drink and left. There was much to do and so little time to do it. And he was grateful Lorenzo understood and cared enough to stretch their people thinner to help him. So now Enrico must do this part. First, he wanted the guy that did the deed. He was going to put him through hell then pull him back from the brink. Then the man was going to tell him who ordered the hit, not that he didn't already know but he needed evidence if he was going to start a firefight with the Zaccharas. And when he was finally through, Enrico was going to send the bastard to greet his father.

-&-&-&-

"Where have you been?" Nikolas demanded.

Lulu rolled her eyes as discreetly as she could manage; which at this point, wasn't discreet at all, and went for the juice. "I went for a ride by the cliff. I needed to stretch my legs a little. What? I'm not even allowed to roam around on the island?"

"You've got six stitches on your side, I hardly think horseback riding is an appropriate form of exercise at this point." Nikolas nearly had a heart attack when he came home and found all the usual spots empty of one sister. He made a feverish search of the house before he bothered to ask the guards… who were just a little late and horse shy to keep up with his sister.

"You did it after your throat surgery," Lulu pointed out, "and don't lie and say you didn't because Emily said you did." Throwing Emily into the mix could only make things worse but Lulu didn't particular care right now.

"That's different."

"Hardly," she drank juice and threw herself onto the coach with a lot more force than she knew she should. She didn't even wince it tore at the newly formed tissues around her wound.

"Will you please be careful?" Nikolas begged/yelled at his kid sister.

"What is your problem?" Lulu wanted to know as she sipped on juice. "You and Emily have a fight or something?"

Nikolas slanted her a look of annoyance. "The only problem I'm having right now is that someone is trying kill my little sister, who has been shot more times in the past two months than I've been my entire life put together. How's that for a problem of monumental proportions?"

"Sorry I asked," she shrugged and sat back again, sighing with relief over the fact that her backside was no longer bouncing around on a hard leather saddle. Okay, maybe the horseback ride wasn't the most brilliant idea she's had but it felt good to breath in fresh air and get a little room around her. As huge as Windemere is, it was beginning to feel claustrophobic after only two days. It probably had something to do with the doom and gloom about the place. Carly's home at least have some sunshine and flowers. This place was like a tomb.

"Lulu," Nikolas sighed and sat down next to her. "I'm not trying to be difficult. I just worry about you, that's all."

"I know," conceding the point and leaned her shoulder against his. "I just really don't like this place."

"I know," he replied as he looked around his dark quarters. He could readily admit that it wasn't a place for a bright sunny girl like his sister, "But right now, it's the safest place for you. And I'd rather you be unhappy than dead."

"Well, that's good to know," she muttered and sat pouting in silence. "Have they found Carly yet?"

"I don't know," Nikolas answered a little more grim that he'd like. "But I'm sure she'll be fine. Carly is nothing if not resourceful and Jason isn't going to rest until he's gotten her back."

"Oh I'm sure of that," Lulu replied with a frown, "But something is going on with those two. There's a weird vibe there."

"What do you mean?" curious now.

"Carly's been acting kind of funny these past two weeks, didn't try to contact Jason at all. It's not like she's giving him the cold shoulder or anything but there's something definitely off about those two."

"Well, if Carly is smart, which she undoubtedly is, she'll distant herself from Jason and his kind. All they bring is trouble for her and hers," he looked at his sister, "Kind of like they did for you."

"Jason didn't do this to me."

"No, just being in his vicinity did it." He should know. "Isn't the first time and probably not going to be the last."

"Well that's just fine and dandy but Carly's got kids whose father isn't exactly clean so it's not like she's got a whole lot of choices in that department," Lulu pointed out logically. "But she's never had a problem with Jason before, not even when they were both disapproving of each other's significant others so… why now? What happened?"

"That's something only Carly or Jason can tell you."

"Jason is pretty silent and just gives you that look he has when he doesn't want to answer. And Carly just avoid the subject like the big white elephant in the room. Those two are pretty much useless for gossip."

"That's not like Carly," Nikolas mused.

"No, it's not," Lulu replied with a nod. "And I want to know why."

"You can ask her when she comes home."

"Which better be soon," Lulu said seriously. She wanted to go home… Carly's home.

-&-&-&-

The knock was answered a little too quickly and Luke raised a brow at the disappointment in Jason's usually emotionless eyes. That was definitely something you don't see every day. "Expecting someone?"

"What are you doing here?" turning about and leaving Luke sanding at the doorway.

Shutting the door with the heel of his shoes, "I came to talk to you about…" Luke stopped when he saw that Jason wasn't alone. "Sorry, didn't know you had company." The boy looked maybe twenty, twenty-one at the most. "Recruiting them kind of young, aren't you?"

"He's not company," Jason answered.

"And I'm not a recruit," the boy replied with a dry kind of smile that was meant to annoy. "More hostage than anything else. But hey, who's complaining?" he shrugged and continued to slouch in the hardback chair he had been situated in. He wasn't bound nor gagged, nor was there any weapons trained on him, but he sat there pretty as you please.

Luke was surprised by few things in his life but this was one of those things that he was very much surprised by. Jason didn't usually hold hostages in his apartment… well actually, Jason wasn't big on the human factor in the business. "Should I come back at another time?"

"What do you want?" Jason asked impatiently, glancing at his watch agitatedly.

"Oh this is definitely a bad time then," Luke sighed and shook his head. It's been a long day. "I just wanted to discuss the situation with Lulu with you but it can wait until…"

"What about Lulu?" at her name, the young man sat up, all sense of indifference gone from his demeanor. There was intensity in his eyes, dark but heated like raked coal. Gone was the boy he was just a few minutes ago, this was a man and a man that's seen a great deal more than he should have. "What have you done with her?"

Okay, now Luke was definitely intrigued. "And you are?"

"What's happened to Lulu?" the young man demanded, his hauntingly beautiful face twisted a little, as if trying but failing to hide a fear he didn't want to admit to. When Luke failed to answer, he turned to Jason. "Look, you have me. They'll will give you anything you want. If he's got Lulu, you can trade me for her and anything else that you think will…"

"He doesn't have Lulu," Jason answered almost kindly. "She's safe."

Dropping back into his seat, half embarrassed by that display and half relieved that his fears were unfounded, the young man nodded his head and decided to play cooperative hostage again.

"And he is?" Luke prompted pointing to him.

"Meet Johnny Zacchara," Jason answered, glancing at his watch again. "I'm trading him for Carly."

"Who's got Carly?" Luke asked.

"Not sure but Claudia Zacchara is bringing her back."

"So you've got junior here as insurance," Luke muttered under his breath, amused by the not so sudden importance of his niece to Jason. "Nice…"

"Who are you?" the boy asked, now that he no longer had to worry about something else.

Luke smirked. "I'm Luke Spencer, Lulu's father."

The surprise couldn't be hid, but Johnny merely nodded his head. "Hi," for lack of anything better to say. "She doesn't look much like you."

"She lucked out and got her looks from her sweet mama," Luke sat down close by and watched the young man for a moment. "Which was just as well. She's got a full dose her father in personality."

"You mean you kicked guards with guns pointed at your head too?"

He should have been horrified by the thought of his precious daughter doing anything that reckless but he couldn't stop the laughter from erupting from his lips. Luke wasn't sure if he was more terrified or proud of his little girl. Only _his_ daughter would do something like that.

"You think that's funny?" Johnny wanted to know, incredulous by this reaction.

"I think that's damn ballsy of my princess but maybe not the smartest thing in the world though," Luke admitted with a grin. "By the way, thanks for driving her back to town."

"You're welcome and you need to tell Lulu to be a hell lot more careful with people," Johnny informed him with no qualms about the fact that Jason Morgan was standing some three feet away with a big gun. "She's trusts too easily. And she could have easily gotten hurt again. And why the hell are there people shooting at her. Yeah, I saw the wounds."

"How's you manage that?" Luke's eyes narrow dangerously now. "Unless you removed her…"

"She was bleeding all over my car. It wasn't hard to figure it out. And I had to stop the wound, right? Can't have her bleeding out," he replied rather defensively, blushing all the while and wishing the hell he could get the image of her eyes out of his mind. _"Get a hold of yourself, Johnny. This is Lulu's dad standing in front of you."_

"I see," and Luke did too. Nikolas was right, the boy's got it bad. "Boy, my cupcake sure know how to pick'em."

"She didn't pick anyone," Johnny informed him with a grimace. "She kind of just fell into a bad crowd."

"I don't need you to defend my princess to me," Luke told him with a grin that was a little too smug and telling. "If fact, I don't need you to do anything for my baby girl anymore."

"I'm not," Johnny assured him honestly, "I've been keeping my distance and…"

"Oh is that what you were doing at the train yard?"

"Train yard?" Jason questioned with a raise brow.

Johnny flushed red. "She called me…" now that just seemed lame. "I didn't know if she was in trouble or not."

"Rode to the rescue, huh?" Luke sighed and wished the poor kid the best of luck trying to stay away if Lulu wasn't inclined to cooperate… not to say that Luke wasn't going to help him do just that. The last thing he wanted was his little girl getting mixed up with the enemy. "Oh boy…."

The pounding on the door saved either one from continuing with this rather awkward conversation. Jason answered it cautiously and was pushed back by a shove.

"Are you all right?" Claudia asked her brother in a no- nonsense manner.

"I'm fine," Johnny answered easily. "We were just chatting," nodding his head toward Jason and Luke.

"You sure?" Claudia's glare was hot enough to slice through steel.

"Yeah," Johnny said with a shrug. "See, totally okay," pulling up his sleeves to show her his arms. No bruises, no cuts, nothing.

Luke frowned at him. "Where's…"

"I'm right here," Carly answered, following Claudia in a beat too late for Jason's liking. She swept the three men with one single glanced and forced on what needed to be done at the moment. "Johnny, right?"

He nodded, a little shocked by the sight of her. He knew that Carly Corinthos was Lulu's cousin but he hadn't expected her to look so much like Lulu. None of the pictures from the web did her justice.

"You: stay away from Lulu," she informed him in no uncertain terms then turned to Claudia, "You: stay in touch."

"And you stay out of trouble," Claudia replied and grabbed Johnny by the arm. "Let's go," the practically frog matched him out of the door. Johnny, wiser than he looked, stayed silent and let her.

"Real wordy, that one," Luke muttered then shut the door behind them. He gave the silence in the room another minute to percolate and then turned to Carly with a smile. "Glad to see you're back, niece of mine; your mother will be greatly relieved," then glanced over her slightly dusty clothes. "Don't need to know where you were, only where you'll be going. And that's Windemere."

"I'm going home," Carly informed him then turned to Jason. "And I thought I told you to meet me there."

"You're thirty minutes early," he informed her, then glanced at Luke threateningly.

"That girl can drive when motivated," Carly muttered and sat down on Jason's couch. "Okay, let's get it over with."

"What?"

"The lecture I'm about to get."

Luke snickered and stood up. "I think that's my cue to leave. Caroline, Nikolas has room on the island all made up for you and Lulu can use the company. Think about it. Oh, family dinner there tomorrow night. Be there please." Then left before Jason can throw him out because the boy looked ready to do just that. Now there's a conversation he wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for.

_To be continued…_

Reviews would be nice...


	28. Impasse

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Claudia and Johnny don't see eye to eye, Carly and Jason have it out with bad results, Enrico visits his brother and Lucky gets a present.

**Author's Note**: I've decided I want Saundra Santiago (_Guiding Light's_ Carmen Santos) to play Anita Santiago (I didn't do it on purpose, I swear), Cruz's mom. She's a little young to be playing Cruz's mom but hey, she's a great actress and a real knock out. She's totally give the character credit if that character ever existed. And she can certainly play someone strong enough to take her son to another country and live on the run from the mob. Still haven't decided who would be a good person to portray Enrico; though I'm leaning toward Misha Collins.

Okay, anyone else grossed out by Johnny and Olivia? Or the new Kristina? Oh my god...

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 28 – Impasse **

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"Get in the car."

"Where did you find her?" Johnny wanted to know as he stopped just short of his sister's sporty little machine. Apparently the need for speed ran in the family: paint Claudia's car yellow and it couldn't have been his.

"Somewhere she shouldn't have been," Claudia explained without explaining anything, rounding the hood. "Now get in the car."

"How did you know to come here?" he asked, sliding into the dark interior and bracing his hands as they took off at a neck breaking pace that even _he_ wasn't so sure of. Apparently driving on the Autobahn has had a bad effect on her. "Um… could you maybe slow down?" his knuckles went white as they took a turn around the street corner on two wheels. "You're only going like a hundred miles over the speed limit."

"Why is everyone always telling me to slow down?" Claudia griped but still took her foot off the accelerator so she didn't accidentally threw her brother out the door. "We got to Carly's house and there wasn't a guard in sight. We figured that Morgan was probably holding you somewhere else. _She_ thought it would be here. Are you sure you're all right?"

"He wasn't looking to hurt me," Johnny answered as he watched his sister with caution. There was something almost manic about her right now. Something had scared her… badly. "He just wanted what belong to him."

"Carly Corinthos belongs to no one," Claudia replied with a shake of her head. She gripped the steering wheel tighter to mask her shaking hands. Seeing Morgan with that gun to Johnny's back, that was likely to give her nightmares for days. "And she's a lot more dangerous than she looks. Don't go sniffing around here if you know what's good for you."

Exasperated, "I'm not interested in…"

"She protects her own," she continued, "I know how she feels. The girl you picked up, the one you've been trying to hide from father? You're not doing her any favors by hanging around, drawing attention where you don't want there to be any. Father's crazy, not stupid. He's going to know sooner or later and that's not going to be good news to anyone around here. And if Carly Corinthos thought you were a danger to her cousin, she'll have you taken you out without so much as breaking a sweat."

"I don't doubt that," Johnny replied, grabbing the edge of his seat to _keep_ his seat. "You and her are alike that way." He didn't address the part about their father, it wasn't news to him and he certainly didn't need his sister to know that his intentions to making sure Lulu never sees his father… ever.

"But I wouldn't warn them about it first," Claudia informed him. She was calming down now, which was good. Bad things happen when Claudia was upset. "Be glad she's one of those motherly types." She slanted her brother a careful look. "This girl…"

"I'm keeping my distance."

"Apparently not enough."

"I'm keeping my distance," he repeated with even less conviction then before.

"Please do," Claudia sighed a little more sympathetic, "Our world is not one that is meant for the weak. And…"

"She's not weak," Johnny corrected, trying to keep his mind in the right place. "She's anything but weak. But I don't want her anywhere near Father and his…" he shut his mouth with a snap. He's said too much already.

You don't survive in their world without learning to a few things a long the way. And Claudia learned to read between the lines a long, _long_ time ago. "I see…" Well, it does solve one question in her mind.

"Shut up," Johnny replied feeling the flush of embarrassment crawl up his neck. There were certain things you just don't discuss with your sister. And Claudia has been too long away for him to be comfortable with this conversation.

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. Her poor baby brother is in love… how sweet is that? Too bad that in their world, love can kill. "But seriously Johnny, you need to not be around that girl if you want her to continue breathing. We're not going to be in this town for much longer and…"

"We?" he wasn't slow on the dropped hints either. "And why aren't _we_ sticking around? You honestly think Dad's going to back off now?" He didn't want to ask the question that he's dying to ask: how his sister fit in all this?

"Dad isn't in his right mind," Claudia took at turn sharply, cursing her wayward tongue. "You, of all people, should know that by now."

Yes, he should. But it didn't mean that Anthony Zacchara was any less his father. "And your point?"

"He doesn't know what day it is much less what's happening in the world around him."

"You shouldn't underestimate him," Johnny warned.

"Oh, I'm well aware of that. In his lucid moments, he's more than just dangerous. And he's crazier than ever now if everything I've seen hearing is true."

"Hearing from where?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't be keeping in eye out on things here after I after?"

"You were sixteen at the time, Claud." He reminded her unnecessarily though he suddenly felt a slight tightness in his chest. "You didn't really have a whole lot of…"

"I haven't been sixteen in a long time, little brother," she slanted him a look that was pure steel. The years apart may not have effected her love for him but it certainly didn't mean that it hadn't left a mark on her. "And I'm a lot better at this than Father and the rest of them want to admit to. They still like to believe that this business is a man's game and they don't like it when little girls grow up learning to do things better than them."

Johnny kept silent for a moment, wondering just where in the organization his sister's eyes and ears are. And if any of them had reported anything about him to her over the years. _"No, not if… what." _He wanted to hold onto the memories of a sister that played with him, held him, kissed him goodnight and shed tears when she went away. It didn't fit with the woman sitting next to him now: sharply dress, steely eyes and coldly calculating her next move. _"But she came when you called. She didn't even hesitate."_

"I don't like that look in your eyes," Claudia spoke into the silence. "Whatever it is you're thinking, stop. Nothing is exactly what it seems and…"

"Then why don't you enlighten me?" he challenged quietly, his voice firm and so much like their father's in his more lucid moments that Claudia turned to look. "Like you said, we aren't kids any more. I haven't been one in a long time." He didn't add, _"Not since I was nine years old."_ It didn't need to be said, Claudia already knew.

"Fine," Claudia replied, mindful of the fact that she was going to need Johnny if she was going to pull things off. "I plan on getting rid of Trevor Lancing and taking over the business."

"Like hell you are."

"At least until you decide if this is the life you want," Claudia continued pretending not to hear his outburst. "You still have a choice that some of us didn't get to have. You can still walk away from this if you want."

A bitter laugh left his lips without his meaning too. His eyes were dark with resentment. "You and me, our lives were decided before we were ever even hatched. There's no leaving _this_ unless it's in a body bag. And if you believe otherwise, you're either deceiving yourself or you are still the same naïve sixteen year old that got sent away." He didn't say it with malice or anger, simply stated the truth – as much as it pained him to say it.

Too bad Claudia didn't believe in the impossible. "Wanna to bet?"

-&-&-&-

The noise of the bustling hospital receded as Enrico made his way down the corridors toward ICU. Here, there was no screaming babies, cursing gang bangers or moaning teens. Here, words were spoken in a harsh whisper, half in fear and half in prayer. Weepy families held onto one another in dread while doctors shuffled around with drawn faces of regret. And it was here that Enrico found his step faltering as he approached the silent room guarded by PCPD's finest.

"Sir," an uniform cop held one hand out, open palmed. "This room is restricted."

"I am family," Enrico informed him in an accent voice he knew resembled Cruz's enough to give the officers pause.

A quick exchange of uncertain glances between the two that guarded the door before the other replied, "Cruz never mentioned a brother."

"He has eight," Enrico choose to inform them, though he himself was not sure of the exact count. "And eleven sisters," that he knew of.

To say the pair of matching guard dogs were surprised would be a mild description of their reaction. But that was of no importance to him.

"Enrico?" Anita Santiago's peppered head appeared as she stepped out and close the door softly behind her.

Ignoring the two useless watchmen, Enrico took as step back to allow Anita room. "How is he?" he genuinely wanted to know.

"Still alive," she breathed softly. She nodded her thanks to the officers by the door and approached Enrico, "Walk with me."

In the month since he had last seen her, Cruz's mother seemed to have aged ten years. It was probably safe to assume most of that age were inflected upon her in the last three days. _("How are you holding up? Do you need anything?")_

_("I need my son to awake and complain about my hovering over him,") _she answered honestly. _("I need him to be well again.")_

_("He will be,")_ Enrico assured her as he guided her toward the cafeteria. _("Cruz is strong, stronger than even you will believe. He will make a full recovery.") _He's gotten enough reports from his eyes and ears to assure him that his little brother was doing better than anyone could have expected. _("He should be waking up soon. I do not think he will be happy to see you not taking care of yourself. You haven't eaten since you've arrived.")_

Sharp eyes turned at a flicker. _("And how is it you know this?")_

_("I take care of my family.")_

_("I am __not__ your family.")_

_("Cruz is my blood. You are Cruz's mother. That makes you family.")_ It really was as simple as that to him.

She didn't argue the point with him though she looked thoroughly tempted and bristled in an attempt to check herself. _("Tell me this has nothing to do with Jorge.")_

_("This has nothing to do with my father,") _he replied with full honestly. _("The fault lies entirely with me. I took a threat to Cruz too lightly and my brother…my brother paid the price. I'm sorry. It will not happen again.")_

It took a full minute for Anita to retain control of her rage. "I did not bring Cruz to America so his life can be threatened by the likes of you and your father again."

Following her lead in the language change and understand why she did it, "I did not want to bring trouble for Cruz, it is the last thing I would do to my brother. I am not my father."

"You have yet to prove this to me." She turned with burning eyes and glared at the man that bore such an familiar face, one that haunted her nightmares for decades. "Since you have come, Cruz's life has been nothing but full of trouble and danger. I want you to leave us alone." Her fear and anger spilled over. "Just leave us alone."

Enrico watched as Anita Santiago stalked away, her rage oozing from her very soul. He couldn't blame her. He had been mistaken in thinking Trevor Lancing's threat had been an empty one and that he would have time to protect his brother. If not for Cruz's own instincts… Someone was going to pay dearly. Trevor Lancing was going to learn that Enrico Rodriguez was not some lackey that he could…

The phone shrilled to life.

_("Hello.")_

_("We found them.")_

_("Where?")_

_("Three miles East of the old river lot. Edge Zacchara territory. Just as you predicted.")_

_("I'm on my way,")_ Enrico informed them before flipping her phone closed. A satisfying surge flowed euphorically through his veins. _"Someone is going to pay."_

-&-&-&-

The silence was so thick it felt as if a physical barrier had been erected in Jason's penthouse. Carly sat patiently on the couch, picking the dirt, gravel and cobwebs from her clothes and hair; she was filthy from lack of shower and crawling through a cave. Beyond that, she was aching from head to toe. And though she would dearly love to walk away without having another confrontation with Jason, she knew that he wasn't going to allow it. And rather than waste her energy – of which she had very little of as it was – she was just going to wait and see, even if the wait killed her.

Jason for his part was making a visual assessment of Carly's well being. Other than being a little messier than usual, she looked to be in relative good health if a bit subdued. But after two weeks of not seeing her, she'd look good cover in green slime and feathered. And subdued seem to be the mood she exhibited in front of him lately though recent reports from the guards hadn't said anything different when she wasn't with him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine," she turned her head and looked up at him with the corner of her eyes. It was easier to pretend when she couldn't see his face. Leopards don't change their spots overnight; she still needed time. Though it would help if she got that time alone. "Can I assume that my security is going to be beefed up now?"

"It won't happen again," he said in that written-in-blood kind of way he gets sometimes when he wants to you to know something is important to him. Carly reminded her heart to calm down. This is what he does.

"It's fine," she sighed and briefly wondered if her life was ever going to be normal again. Not that she really understood what _normal_ was anymore. Her life hasn't been normal since she hit this town all those years ago with a chip on her shoulder and a grudge to be repaid. Thinking back now, she wonder if she would have been so eager to become involved in Jason's life she had know how it would eventually turn out. If she was honest with herself… maybe.

"It's not fine," Jason corrected, his voice tightening as his anger made its presence known. And it was anger, not annoyance, that plagued his strangled tones. "It should _never_ have happened."

"Things in life don't always go according to plan." Truer words have never been spoken – at least not from her lips. Carly couldn't stop the tiny little ironic smile from appearing as she stared at the dark coffee table she had helped Jason pick out years ago – or was this the one that had replaced the previously one she had picked out; she'd lost track and the headache didn't help her memory. "Don't worry Jason. I'm not holding it against you. Now if it had been my boys on the other hand…"

"I've doubled security on Michael and Morgan. Bobby and Lucas are on their way back to Port Charles. Your mother insisted," he added before she could ask.

It was at the tip of her tongue to tell Jason just what she thought of that particular idea then remember who it was that they were talking about. She wasn't her mother's daughter for nothing. There was no talking Barbara Jean Spencer out of it once she's put her mind to something. And that means it was either get onboard or get ready to be run over. "Are you putting security on them once they've arrived?"

"Until this is cleared, everyone has someone watching."

"Talk to Lorenzo," she suggested knowing that it would get a reaction out of Jason but no longer cared. She wanted a hot bath and a soft bed. "You don't want to be spread yourselves too thin and Lorenzo seem determined to keep in eye on me and mine so… you might as well utilize the resources. It's healthier for all parties involved." Carly thought she could hear a grinding sounds and imagined that Jason's molars are taking a beating right about now. "I don't suppose you're going to leave it at that and let me go home for a shower and change of clothes."

"You'll be staying here."

Certain that she's heard him wrong, "What?"

Jason didn't like that non-committal tone she was using, it made him more nervous than having a drunken Lulu wave a gun in his face. At this point in time, he's prefer her screeching outrage to her disinterest. "You'll be staying here from now on, at least until I can assure you safety at the house."

For lack of anything to say and the increase pounding at the back of her head, Carly put her face into her hand and rested her elbow on her knees for a moment to process. "You want me to move in here… with you."

"For now," figuring that might help the situation a little. He thought wrong.

"No," she answered very easily and very naturally before getting up, ignoring the increasing headache that she knew was from a lack of food, sleep and peace. But she couldn't leave it like this; she couldn't move in here… a place where memories of heartaches continue to haunt her despite the front she put up for everyone's sake, especially her own. "I'm not living here."

"It's not up for debate," Jason informed her.

"And it's not just up to you either," Carly reminded him sharply. She wondered briefly if he understood just what he was doing her. And there was a quiet suspicion in the back of her mind that he didn't. _"I mean, how could he?"_ He had never felt the same way about her as she did him.

Jason held onto the a disquieting feeling. Whether it was anger or fear, he wasn't quite sure. "It's not safe for you at the house. This place is protected around the clock with surveillance and men. There's no safer place."

_"Physically anyways,"_ she thought rather bitterly and told herself to stay in control. Jason never liked it when she ranted like a lunatic, no need to prove him right. "I don't want to stay here. I don't feel safe here." She didn't add that it was her emotional well-being she was afraid for.

The words felt like a physical blow. _"She didn't feel safe with me anymore."_ None of it showed on his face as he turned to pace the room, afraid to face her. If she had ranted and raved as her usual M.O., he wouldn't be nearly as concerned. But this… "I can't protect you if you go back to the house."

"I won't hold you responsible," Carly replied, her traitorous heart cracking a little more at how easily he gave in. It hurt almost as much as the headache now. But there was nothing she could do about either pains. "I'll take my chances."

The urge to grab her and shake her was so great he almost gave in. But the ridge lines of her back and the way her face was held so stony gave him pause. This wasn't his Carly, the Carly he knew wasn't here now; but it didn't mean that he cared about her any less. And he had to protect her despite his own shattered heart. "Nikolas has Lulu at Windemere."

That got her attention fast. "What happened to Lulu?"

"She decided to give herself a little space."

Eyes wide with disbelief, "She went out without her guards?"

"Yeah."

Why she was surprised by this she wasn't completely sure. Lulu was a Spencer after all and Spencers don't do confinement well. It took a moment or two but she calmed down sufficiently enough to ask the all important, "Is she all right?"

"She's fine."

Carly's face turned dark with displeasure. "Not when I'm through with her."

"Lucky had her arrested and remanded to Nikolas," he thought to share.

"Well that's something I suppose," she muttered with a sigh. Headache worse now, she just wanted to go home and get into the shower then into her own nice comfy bed. "Okay, I'm done. I need shower, sleep and possibly food. I'm going home."

"I can't let you do that, Carly," wondering if she understand where he stood. _"Doubtful."_

"I can't stay here Jason," she told him as she stood, ignoring the pounding in her head… and in her heart. _"Protect yourself, Carly. Protect yourself."_

"You can't go back," he repeated, hurting for her and because of her. This wasn't how it was suppose to be between them.

"Fine," she sighed because Jason was who Jason was and he wasn't going to back down just because she pushes back. And because she's always pushed back, she didn't this time; she was going to learn even if it killed her. Besides, she was too tired to push back.

Jason felt a piece of himself wither and die at her one-word answer. The Carly that loved him would never have give in so easily. The Carly that stood by him didn't give in to _anyone_ that easily. That was the Carly he had shattered and killed over years of neglect and ignorance until there was simply nothing left to put together again. That was the Carly that had finally been pushed so far that she had to walk away and when she came back, she was a shadow of the woman that he had helped to destroy.

"Do I have any options left?" Carly wanted to know as she stood, task made difficult by exhaustion and her pounding headache. _"Where's an aspirin when you need one?"_

He swallowed the lump in his throat at her defeated tone. _"You did this to her,"_ he reminded himself. "Windemere," giving her an out that he didn't want to give her. But she looked… she looked broken. _"Because you broke her."_ It hurt him to see her like this so he turned and stared out the window instead. He just wanted… he just wanted _his_ Carly back: the good, the bad, the ugly and the… and the unconditional trust – the one he had severed without realizing it – that went with it. "Nikolas issued an open invitation for you to stay there."

"Nikolas?"

"For Lulu's sake if nothing else."

"Hum…" she shrugged and closed her eyes, "that makes sense," but when she opened it, everything was blackened and tilted to one side. "Um… Jason."

He turned around at her hesitant tone. "What's wrong?" seeing the color leech from her face. "Carly?"

"Um…" she blinked unseeing eyes. "I think… I think I'm about to faint."

And the last thing she remembered before the pitch blackness descended upon her was a vague and blurred image of Jason rushed toward her.

-&-&-&-

Lucky picked up his jacket and slipped his service weapon into his holster. It was almost eight now and he was beat. He wanted to get home in time to tuck Cameron into bed, grab a hot meal and shower, allow Elizabeth to baby him a little before he went to bed. But first, he was going to stop by the hospital and…

The phone rang and Lucky groaned. _"Why does it always ring when I'm about to leave?"_ For a moment, he thought to ignore it. But there were three open cases on his plate, not including Cruz's hit and run, and he couldn't afford to ignore anything at this point.

"Spencer."

"Route 55, three miles East of the river, white van." Then click, the line went dead.

Staring at his rudely buzzing phone, Lucky didn't even have to wonder who or what that was about. With a resigned sigh, he dialed home. "Liz, it's Lucky."

"Hey honey, when are you coming home?"

"Well…"

"You're still at the station, aren't you?"

He could almost see her grin. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she replied softly. "Is it a case?"

"A lead just came in on Cruz's case."

"I understand. Just be careful, okay? Call me when you have news."

Lucky felt a warmth from deep within. "Kiss my son goodnight for me." The words rolled off his tongue with sweet delight. _"My son,"_ and he felt a familiar tug at the corners of his lips. _"I must look like an idiot. An happy idiot yes, but still an idiot."_

"Do it yourself when you come home," she told him with laugh. "I'll see you soon enough."

"I love you, Liz."

"I love you," she repeated.

"Good night."

"Be careful," she reminded him.

Holding his phone a moment longer after she wished him luck, Lucky took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the coming events, and all the lies he was going to be telling. "Jackson! Harper! We've got a lead!"

-&-&-&-

"Do you smell something?" Harper asked cautiously.

"Leaky pipe? Smells coppery," Jackson held his hand against his nose in an effort to ward off the sickening sweet smell.

"I don't think that's it," Lucky cautioned as he pulled his gun. "Weapons up, guys. These people are likely armed."

The two detectives, though leads on the case, followed their fellow detective in behind him. Spencer was Rodriguez's partner, that gives him every right to these guys first. And if the tip that came in panned out, they were going to get their guy. Rodriguez bleeds blue, and the boys that wear the uniforms backed their brothers up with a vengeance.

Circling around, all three flinched at the metallic scent the emanated from the damaged white van. The broken front with the scrapped paint the same color as Rodriguez's car told them they had the right place. The two punctured tires told them why it was sitting half a mile from any known road. But the smell…

Holding up three fingers and pointing to the back door of the van, Lucky counted down and pulled the door, pointing his weapon in with an clear, "PCPD, nobody move." And no one in the van did… at least not very quickly.

Half lying in a pool of his own blood was a panting man of Anglo descent so green in the face that for a moment he appeared to be an extra from one of the Star Trek movies. The whites of his eyes were almost yellow with fear and withdrawal of whatever drug he was hooked on. Spittle of blood and saliva trickled from the corners of his mouth and he struggle to breath and talk at the same time. The source of his difficulties was easily identified by the bleeding hole in his stomach where he was desperately trying to plug with his bare hands. "P… please… please help me."

Lucky blasphemed as he climbed into the van. "Call for back up and an ambulance."

Jackson cursed a blue streak as he phoned it in while Harper stripped off his jacket and shirt, the latter of which was being haphazardly torn apart for a makeshift bandage. "What the hell happened?" he pressed the white cotton against the crimson wound as Lucky proceeded to strip for bandage. "Lover's quarrel?"

"Somehow I doubt it," Lucky muttered as he bid farewell to his favorite shirt with only a tinge of regret. "We've got to keep him alive. We need answers."

"Ambulance is ten minutes out," Jackson posted as he took his jacket off to assist. "What's the status?"

"It's bad," Harper informed him as he pressed against the wound harder. It was only bleeding from one end, "Bullet's lodged. Fragmented probably." The suspect groaned. "Hey… hey, don't you go passing out on me here. What's your name?"

"That's a lot of blood," Lucky muttered as he looked around the van quickly for other supplies. But the van was striped of anything useful.

"E… Ed… Eddie," the green-faced suspect managed to choke out, spitting blood onto Harper's knees. "Men… Mendez."

"Well Eddie Mendez," Harper made a face and press his hand against his partner's, trying to ebb the flow of blood. "This is either the luckiest or unluckiest day of your miserable little life. You better not die on us because I've got a boatload of questions and you're going to be answering them here in the land of the living or I'm chasing you into hell to get my answers. You got me?"

Eddie nodded his head rather weakly as he blinked his eyes. "Jone…Jonesy made… made the deal. Don't… don't know… know much."

"Jonesy?" Jackson frowned and looked around the empty van as if something would magically appear. "And where's Jonesy?"

Mentally, Lucky groaned. _"Shit!"_

Eddie licked his cracked and bleeding lips. "Took… took him."

"Who?" Harper asked, pressing his hand harder against the wound.

Groaning in pain, Eddie's head lolled to the side.

"Hey," slapping the suspect with a bloodied hand, "Stay awake here. Who took Jonesy?"

"Suit," Eddie whispered as blood began to spew from his mouth anew. "Man… man in the suit. Blood… blood for… blood, he… he said," choking on his own blood.

"Okay enough," Lucky said as he heard distant wailing of sirens. "Let's get him to he hospital first and question him later. He's fading too fast."

"Damn it," Jackson muttered as he turned Eddie's face and allowed the man to spit up more blood. "Stomach wounds bleed like hell. Hey, don't choke on that," he told Eddie as the suspect gurgled blood.

"Great, more mysteries," Harper cursed and waved to the ambulance as they pulled up with a screech. "What the hell is going on?"

Lucky moved out of the way and sighed. The paramedics went to work on the dying man and Lucky watched as they frantically tried to stop the bleed. Lucky knew from text books and listening to Liz and Emily at times that stomach wounds are the most slow and painful ones. And he had no doubt that Cruz's brother wanted this guy to suffer a great deal before he died… if he died. _"No,"_ he corrected himself, _"When he died."_ He was pretty certain that they weren't suppose to find Eddie Mendez alive when they got here. So, this truly was Eddie's luckiest day.

"CSU is here," Harper said quietly as he wiped blood from his hands and watched as the paramedics loaded Eddie into the ambulance. "I'll ride with the suspect. Jackson is going to over see the evidence. You can head out if you'd like."

"I think I'll stick around," Lucky replied with a quick nod of thanks. "I'll go to the hospital with you, check on Cruz."

"If you'd like," Harper moved as the crime scene unit moved sweep the area. "What's the chances we'll find whoever it is that left us this nice little blood wrapped present?"

"Slim to none," Lucky answered honestly. "And I don't really care who it is. I want this Jonesy character. I want to know who ordered a hit on Rodriguez and why."

"Cruz is a good guy, he's not into anything," Harper assured him. "He's cleaner than clean."

"You don't have to tell me that," Lucky's brows lower into a frown.

"Just stating the obvious," backing off now that he knows where Lucky's position is. "Let's get to the hospital."

"Yeah," Lucky muttered, silently cursing a certain mobster. _"You better have a damn good explanation for this, Enrico Rodriguez. Or the mob is going to be the least of your worries."_

-&-&-&-

The overhead light turned on with a click. Jonesy, once knows as Frederick Jones, felt the icy cold water hit his face a second later. Sputtering, he came awake with a jolt just in time to feel plastic bucket hit his knees. Looking down stupidly, he wondered at the bucket a moment before someone roughly lifted his legs and dropped them in. Ropes and a plank held his knees down and an hose appeared a second later to fill the small tub.

"We can do this the easy way," someone just off to the side and in the shadows pronounced, "Or we can do this the way the Godfather way."

"I don't think this was in the Godfather," someone else said.

"It is if you watched the Chinese version," a third person interjected.

Jonesy was having a hard time following the discombobulated voices. "Look, whatever it is you want…"

"Be quiet, no one told you to talk yet."

Smarts was never one of Jonesy's big thing. "I ain't got no money and my old man is a…" the blow to the head stopped all brain functions for a moment.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"If you hit him again he might become brain dead. There's not much brain cells left in there." Someone laughed.

"Do you find this amusing?" a rich cultured voice sudden came from behind. "Is this a joke to you?" the voice was laced with poison tipped darkness.

The silence in the room was so dangerous that even Jonesy got it.

Soft leather whispered in the darkness just as a handsome face appeared above Jonesy covered in light and shadows. Eyes so dark they were almost black sat calmly on a face so handsome that Jonesy had to swallow hard. There was something unnaturally beautiful about the man; so beautiful that it should be sinful. Never a religious person, Jonesy briefly wondered if this was an archangel from Sunday school that has come to judge mankind… or at least just him.

The man crouched down to become eye level with Jonesy for a moment then glanced down at the water bucket Jonesy's legs were in. Trailing a finger in the water, the man considered it a moment and quietly said, "Tell me who hired you to run that the police officer's car over."

"P… p… police?" Jonesy could feel what's left of his sanity physically leaving him. No one said anything about the police.

"The person that hired you," the beautiful man repeated. "Who is it?"

"Hey, I don't know anything about any cops. I don't mess with cops, okay?" Jonesy's nerves were spiking to titters.

"Answer the question," someone advised him roughly with another love tap to the head.

Off to the side, table legs scrapped against concrete floor as someone maneuver the table closer. A whine was heard as a switch was flipped and blinking red lights appear in the darkness. Something snapped into place and a moment later, a flash of an electric current lit the room for three seconds, showing Jonesy an empty warehouse and four well dressed men… and machine that looked too complicated for his simple mind.

Jonesy's body shook in fear as the room was plunged back into darkness. "I'll… I'll give back the money."

"I do not care about money," the man informed him carefully, that handsome face never once reveal his intentions. "I want the name of the person that hired you to hit the car."

"I… I never saw him. It was all done by phone."

"How were you paid?"

"Cash… in an envelope, left in the van for us. He gave us the van, said we can keep it after but we'd have to stay at the location for a while. I never saw him, I swear." Jonesy's bladder couldn't take the pressure. He had obviously only realized just where and what he had gotten himself into.

"What did he sound like?"

"Man… older… sounded like a guy."

"How were you to identify the car you were suppose to hit?"

Squirming in his wet and soiled seat, "Color, description, license plate. Gave us a picture of the guy that was…" he glanced up suddenly. The beautiful archangel before him suddenly looked very familiar. Wasn't the man in the picture but there was enough resemblance there to… Jonesy's heart skipped a beat. "Oh my god…"

Enrico straightened slowly and looked down at the frightened man. "You really should learn who and why you are doing a job," then walked awake, deeming the sod useless to him. As he passed Petro, one of his more colorfully imaginative associates, he leaned over and instructed, _("He's yours. Make sure it is slow and painful, do not kill him. I have other plans for him later.")_

Petro smiled, that rather lovely smile of his that tugged on the scar across the left side of his face. _("But of course. Would you like it to be bloodied or bloodless?")_ as if they were discussing the preparation of a meal.

_("Bloodless for now, try not to mark him. I said try… but you do not need to try too hard.")_

_("Understood,")_ Petro inclined his head in respect and picked up his electrodes. _("I'll will attempt to be careful with our guest.")_

_("Dominique, come with me.")_ Enrico didn't wait as he left the warehouse, ignoring the sudden scream from behind him. He had other things to consider. _("Find the money that these idiots were paid with. See what you can do about tracing it.")_

_("It's most likely unmarked.")_

_("I want to be certain before we dispose of him.")_

_("I'll find it,")_ Dominique left without a word, so efficient was he.

Enrico stood in silence for a moment, considering his next move when his phone rang. _("Yes?")_

"The one left in the van. He is still alive. The police have him."

"Fix the problem."

"Yes sir."

Silent again, Enrico took a breath and made the next move. Dialing out, _("Gilo. Get me Trevor Lancing.")_

_To be continued…_

* * *

Thoughts people? I need feedback.


	29. The Hits Keeps Coming

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Jason is torn, Carly is overwhelmed, Logan is surprised, Coop is endangered, Claudia is intrigued and Enrico is enraged.

**Author's Note**: Okay, I changed my mind, I want Esai Morales to play Enrico. He is so beautiful and have so much talent that I'm so surprised that he's not more insanely famous then he is. And can't you just see him being all dark and broody and mean then sweet and sarcastic the next minute? It would totally rock!

Also, while I'm not writing the Robin's baby saga from like three years ago into this story, assume that it's running in the background with all the people involved. It'll play in later but right now, it's just not something I need to rehash for anyone. (I didn't care of it if you must know.)

I currently hate GH. I can't even watch it anymore.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

*****************************

**Chapter 29 – The Hits Keep Coming**

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"Stop pacing please?" Carly asked softly as she held a hand over her eyes. "And can you turn the lights down?" Double clicks threw the room into darkness. "Thank you."

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really," she replied, "Especially with you hovering like this."

"Why did you faint?" Jason asked for the umpteenth time since he had rushed to the hospital with a semi-conscious Carly tucked protectively in his arms. He had a rather unpleasant flashback from ten years before, when they had been living in Sonny's old Penthouse and Carly had been heavy with child – pregnant with Michael. He had almost lost Carly that day; Michael too. It wasn't the first time he had held Carly like that, cradling her soft body against him, nor was the it the most dangerous times; but it was the first time he'd felt completely at a loss as to what to expect when she opened her eyes.

"For the last time, I don't know," Carly answered, leaning her head back and resting her neck against the soft pillow that wasn't doing anything in the way of support. "How about we let the nice doctor that just left tell me okay? Since you insist on coming to the hospital."

"Carly…" he started to say but the phone shrilled to life. Though he'd love to simply ignore it, there was business to attend to. And his line of business, it wasn't just money that could be a stake. "Morgan." Sonny's dark tone sent an alarm through his system. "When?" He glanced briefly at Carly and wondered if someone up there was trying to drive him crazy. "I'll try to get there as soon as…" Sonny Corinthos was one of those few individuals not born with any patience. "Carly is at the hospital and…" the spew of questions didn't help. "She fainted and…" the questions just kept right on coming.

"Go," Carly waved a limp hand blindly at him. "I'm fine."

"People that are fine don't faint," Jason informed her, not bothering to cover the mouthpiece.

"Whatever it is that needs to be taken care of, you should just go do it so all this can be over with and my boys can come home," she informed him dropping her arm over her eyes. She was tired, still dirty and _still_ hungry. "Leave someone with me to take me home and report back to you with anything. Just go and do whatever it is Sonny needs you to do. Oh and I'm going to need a new phone. They took mine."

"Carly…" the warning was deep in his voice. He did not want to leave.

"I'll go back to your place," she conceded to expedite things, "at least for tonight." She peered at him from under her arm and lashes, "We'll discuss living arrangements tomorrow," just to give herself an out later.

He wasn't going to get a better deal than that and he knew it. Plus Sonny needed his enforcer twenty minutes ago. "Alright, I'm leaving Shane and Taber with you. Do _not_ leave without them."

"I know the drill," she replied and shut her eyes again. "Get going."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he told her as he hesitated at the door. He _really_ didn't want to leave.

"Good bye," she sang out, verbally shoving him out the door. The man was worse than her mother sometimes and all she wanted was to be alone for a few minute, his hovering was making her more nervous than she already was.

Granted she hadn't eaten in a few hours nor has she slept well for a few weeks but that was no reason for her to have a fainting spell. Girls like Caroline Benson do not faint… it was too embarrassing and weak. And she was anything but weak; plus she hated being embarrassed, only makes her want to fight back more. So… that leaves too many questions and no answers so far. Being run down could be a factor and god knows that damp cold tunnel she had to make her way around in probably didn't help. But Carly is usually the very picture of health and no wilting flower. So why?

A quick knock at the door was followed by Dr. Taylor, the receiving doctor in the emergency room when Jason had brought her in. One look at Jason's face had convinced poor Dr. Taylor, brand new in town, to move Carly Corinthos to the top of the waiting list. "Sorry it took so long, Mrs. Corinthos."

"Not a problem," she waved off the apology and winced when he flicked the light back on. "Headache."

Dimming the lights, "Is your husband gone?"

"Not my husband," she replied with a quick smile meant to charm anything male, "just a friend." She sat up and swung her mile long legs around. "What's the diagnosis?"

"Nothing to be concerned about," he assured her returning that smile automatically as men were wont to do. "More fluids, more rest and plenty of vitamins."

"I'll do all that but what's wrong with me? Why did I faint?"

He blinked and smiled nervously. This was one of those moments that left the unflappable doctor a little uncomfortable. "Well your blood test shows that you have an elevated count in your…"

"Simple terms doc," she interrupted with a held up hand. It was like a disease with the smart ones, round and round with the big words and yet they say nothing at all. "Just give it to me straight. I can handle it." God know she's had to handle a lot of things lately and…

"You're pregnant," which was pretty much as simple as it gets. "Congratulations!"

Holding herself perfectly still, Carly gave her mind a moment to replay the words in her head again. Then again. Then again. And because she was still having trouble processing it, she gave herself an other moment.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Corinthos?"

She swallowed and nodded her head slowly. "I was told I wouldn't be able to… that the chances of me having another child are…" she cleared her throat and look down on her hand, a little surprised by the fact that they had instinctively gone to her tummy, shielding the unseen child from the world. "Doctor… Doctor Lee was my… um… Can you get Dr. Lee for me? I need to talk to her."

"Of course, I assume she was your OB?"

"Yes," trying to focus on something other than… than… "Yes, I think I should talk to her and… and…"

"I'll get Dr. Lee for you," the ER doctor assured her and headed out. If there was one thing he couldn't handle, it was pregnant women. It was just one of those little quirks they all have in the ER. He'll leave the hormones and pregnancies to the experts.

Carly didn't trust her legs or she'd have gotten up and pace. She needed something to work off the build up of love and fear. A baby… a real baby. Another baby for her. Maybe a little girl this time? A precious little girl for her to love and hold and… protect and shield from the world that she's managed to entrench herself in for the last ten years. A baby. And not just any baby. She wasn't dumb or oblivious. She can count, count the number of men she's had in her bed in the past few months.

And there had only been one.

And it had only been the one time.

"Oh my god," she groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Oh my god."

-&-&-&-

Logan loaded his gun with a sure hand and slipped it into the hustler behind his back before throwing his shirt and jacket over it. It was too warm to be wearing a leather jacket but he needed it to conceal the weapon. He had let his private license expire and forgot to renew it. He was going to have to take care of it soon before something came up and he got into trouble for it; and he certainly wasn't going to count on the D.A. to help him out.

And he certainly can't use his Federal I.D. to get him out of a jam either, not that he's stupid enough to carry _that_ around Corinthos or Lancing. Corinthos and Lancing may both think that Logan worked for them but things aren't always what they seem. The DEA has been putting pressure on him to get a report out with a confirmation or denial of illegal drug activities in Port Charles; of which he'd have to file a negative on the drug activity. Corinthos may be into a lot of things but drug weren't one of them. But Logan was in no hurry to leave Port Charles yet, not with Coop still in a jam. You don't abandon friends. That's not how his mother raised him. And his dear sweet old mother with her acid tongue would strip the hide off his back if she heard otherwise.

The pounding on he door made him frown. It was getting late and he was in a hurry to meet with Coop to work out a strategy. Plus he wasn't expecting visitors. And the person on the other side of the door was anything but welcome. "What do you want?"

"Have you had dinner yet?" Maxie warbled cheerfully as she barged in with a basket and bottle of wine. "I brought some great chicken. I found this place by the west side that…"

"I'm busy Maxie," he held the door open. The last thing he needed was Maxie Jones in his face. He was juggling enough as it was. "You need to leave."

"I just thought you'd enjoy a nice hot meal rather than those cold turkey sandwiches you run off with from Kelly's all the time," pulling out the hot meal one piece at a time. "I bet you don't even have anything in that frig of yours."

"What are you, stalking me now?" and if she was, he's losing his touch.

"I'm just trying to be helpful," she smiled invitingly at him.

"Well you're not," he informed her with a quick finger to the door. "And you're leaving because I have to be…" the rest of it was lost as two burly men came through the door. Logan had to resist the instinct to reach for his sidearm… which wasn't even there. Damn training. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"Mr. Morgan wants to see you," one of them said.

"Now," finished the other.

Logan nodded then turned. "Told you," he informed Maxie grimly. "Lock up when you leave."

-&-&-&-

"Mr. Barrett, how nice to meet you," the words rolled deliciously off the slick tongue with the careful pronunciation of every syllable. For a moment, Cooper could almost imagine that tongue being forked. "I'm glad you can take the time to see me."

Faking a fidget to mask the twitching of his hand that wanted so bad to go for his weapon and blow a hole in this guy's skull, Cooper cleared his throat delicately. "You said that you might be able to help me out with a… financial difficulty."

"Financial difficulty," the man smiled wide, "big words for a beat cop."

"Wasn't always a beat cop but you must have already knew that," Coop replied with a quick glance at the two men stationed at the doors. He didn't like that fact that his exits have been cut off. It was standard procedure in the army to cover your escape route, especially while they were in Iraq.

"Yes," the smile returned a little more widely.

"Let's not pretend anymore Mr…"

"Lancing, Trevor Lancing," he replied carefully. "And I like a man that is straight forward."

_"And you are anything but that,"_ Cooper couldn't help but think. "Looks, I find myself in need of a little extra cash flow and someone came to me and said you might have a side job I can do off hours. Let's hear it."

"I understand that you're under a lot of pressure to obtain large cash flow," Lancing pulled something from this breast pocket. "You owe quite a bit to the loan sharks. Not exactly certain why you suddenly needed the influx of cash but…"

"That's none of your concern," or anyone else's for that matter. The truth of the matter was that there was no money issue and the 'loan sharks' were Morgan's men put into place with a clear understanding of what their roles were to be. The 'loan sharks' visited once a week like clockwork for five minutes each time, they would have a drink with Coop then leave as scheduled. It was perfect.

And obviously it worked.

"Yes of course, you're right," Trevor inclined his head in a show of civility, "And it shouldn't be asked again. My only concern is how you're going to pay it off, this debt of yours."

"One penny at a time."

Trevor extracted a blue piece of paper from the pocket book he had pulled out, "Well, I think we can do better than that," and handed it over with a smile.

Cooper glanced briefly at it then did it again because he didn't feel it was convincing enough. "That's… quite a bit of money."

"Enough to cover your debt if I'm not mistaken," there was just enough smugness there to make Coop's skin crawl. "Consider this your new loan with repayments details to be discussed at a later date."

Okay, this was not what Cooper Barrett, or anyone else, could have been expecting. _"Now what?"_

-&-&-&-

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Sit down," Jason ordered not so nicely and then turned his back.

Logan took the seat before the wide desk and awaited orders… or his sentence. And he waited.. and waited… and waited. "Um… sir?"

"Be quiet," Jason replied.

"Okay," Logan nodded and did the waiting in silence again. He can do the waiting game if need be. It would be another ten minutes before the silence was interrupted.

"Bad time?" the woman that came in without a knock and dropped a purse on the table with a hard clunk. Either she had nice piece of rock in her purse or Logan would bet his next Uncle Sam paycheck that the lady was packing heat. And with those killer heels, he wouldn't doubt it for a second. She looked like she was dressed as an extra for the Sopranos.

"No," Jason tilted his head toward Logan. "Hayes, Claudia Zacchara."

"Zacchara?" Logan was certain there had to be mistake.

Blood red lips quirked up, "I'm the black sheep. The legitimate part of the family doesn't acknowledge me much."

He knew the game well. "Their loss."

"And your gain," Claudia smiled and rest the tilt of her hip against the edge of the table. "So what's the game plan? Why'd you call me?"

"Sonny's willing to play," Jason informed her checking his watch. Carly should be back at the penthouse by now. He wanted to get back there as soon as humanly possible. But plans had to be made and deals had to be brokered… and that means he had to handle Claudia Zacchara first.

"Where's Sonny?" Claudia wanted to know.

"With his boys," Jason replied calmly and looked her in the eye. "We keep the family out of this and that includes spouses and ex spouses."

"Carly was never part of my game, nor were any of their kids. I don't play it that way," she responded with full honesty. "And Carly and I have an agreement."

"And I'm telling you now that that deal is off the table. Keep Carly out of this."

"That's not your call," Claudia informed him with a shake of her head. "Mrs. Corinthos and I have a understand that you men don't have. We're going to keep our deal and we're going to play this the way we want it to play out. No one gets hurt but Trevor Lancing… and my father if necessary."

"You're willing to sell out your own father?" Logan asked, surprised as well.

Eyes like glacial turned on him, "My father sold me off at sixteen because he didn't like that way I held my little brother or the way I looked at his new wife. Of course it was on the advise of a man that hated me and my mother; so no sympathies for dear old dad or his sadistic right hand man."

Logan nodded his head like the wise man he was. "Got it."

"Logan here," Jason interrupted with a raised brow, "is going to be our go between. He's your eyes and my ears."

Claudia eyed him over once more. She understood where Morgan was coming from and would probably do the same in his place. You keep your friends close but your enemies closer. And an enemy of thy enemy is thy friend… kind of. "I can accept that. I'd prefer someone little less conspicuous but I can work with what I get."

"He's special forces," Jason informed her without reason. "He'll make sure your father doesn't get to you."

She laughed and then shook her head. "I'm sorry… for a moment there I thought you were actually concerned about my safety."

Jason glared at her. "We want the Zaccharas out of our territory. You seem to be our surest bet to accomplishing that with as little bloodshed as we can hope for in a territory war. It's in our best interest to keep you alive."

"And to keep an eye on me as well."

"Yes."

"Because I'm a Zacchara."

"Yes."

She grinned suddenly. "I can deal with that." She briefly wondered if Lorenzo Alcazar knew about this little arrangement. Turning to face Logan, she smiled viciously. "Well Mr. Hayes, looks like you're about to become my new best friend."

"A pleasure ma'am."

"Claudia," she replied, crossing her legs provocatively. "Get use to saying it because as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you're my new toy."

-&-&-&-

"We have a problem." That was a sentence that never bode well at the beginning of any conversation.

_("What is it now?") _Enrico glanced around the corridor of the hospital as he made his way to the ICU.

"The police has the place locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I can't get anywhere near the guy."

_("Find a way.")_

"You don't think I've tried?" the voice was tight with anger. "I need a distraction. Something to get me in there."

_("I cannot help you here.") _Lord knows he can already feel the eyes of the police on his back the minute he walked into the hospital. If he went anywhere near the emergency rooms where the police was currently keeping their newest prisoner, they'd be on him in a heartbeat.

"Enrico…"

_("Keep your tongue in that mouth of yours and find a way to get to him. I do not want that man talking to the police at any lost.")_

_("I want that man dead too,")_ reverting suddenly to a language he's not spoken in years. _("Cruz is my brother as well, don't you forget that.")_

_("I don't forget such things,")_ Enrico replied as he came to the door he had been in search for, still vigilantly guarded by uniforms. _("Find a way.")_

_("When do I get to see Cruz?")_

_("Soon.")_

_("Brother…")_

_("Soon,") _he repeated and hung up. His younger brothers have so little patience. "I'm here to see my brother." The officers glanced at each other. Obviously they've been warned and hesitated. "Feel free to ask his mother," because he had no intentions of causing a scene in the hospital.

"Let him in," Anita called out from beyond the door. She was too tired to argue with Enrico. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how Cruz was doing," he answered honestly as he closed the door behind him. "What has the doctors been saying?"

"Same as before," Anita silently counted her rosaries. "They're say the hopeful things and they prepare you for the worse. If he wakes up…"

"When," Enrico corrected firmly. "When he wakes."

"If," she said the word without flinching then closed her eyes at the pain it inflicted upon her, "if he wakes up, there will be damage from the accident."

"It was no accident," he replied, unable to process the meaning behind what she had just say for a moment. "What do you mean damage?"

"The doctors…" she seemed to collapsed in on herself.

_("Senora… Please. What did the doctor say about my brother?")_ He braced himself for the worse.

_("There was a lot of bleeding in his brain when he was brought in. The coma and the bleeding…")_ she looked up at him with eyes that devastated by her loss. _("He could have permanent brain damage if he wakes.")_

_("No,") _he shook his head in denial. _("No!") _

_To be continued…._

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Thoughts? Concerns? Hate mail?


	30. Reactionary

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Coop gets another offer, Johnny is tempted and it's a family gathering with the Spencers.

**Author's Note**: I had a difficult few weeks and the writing didn't go so well. The Spencers section, believe it or not, was actually the easiest part of the whole chapter. I wanted more to happen here but it got to long. Hopefully the next chapter will have a little more action in it. Enjoy!

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 30 - Reactionary**

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"Sit down," Ric offered the chair before his desk and went to the little coffee maker that Alexis had before he took over the office; in fact he's kept the office pretty much the same since he took over, unable to change someone of what his former wife had created here. "Can I offer you coffee?"

"No thank you, sir." Cooper Barrett felt about as comfortable in the DA's office as a long tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. "May I ask what this is about, sir?"

Perched on the edge of his desk, Ric regarded the young officer with a look of sympathy. "I know that young graduates like you, fresh from the academies, are often disillusioned by the amount of work and may that actually comes with police work. It's not the most glamorous job that way TV portrays it and it certainly isn't the most well paid one either. And people with financial difficulties often find that there are much more lucrative choices out there."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Coop asked, "sir?" adding just because.

Ric nodded and smiled indulgently. "Someone happened to mention that they saw you with a few members of the rougher side of society."

"I don't bring my personal situation to work, sir. You can be assured that…"

"That's not where I was going," Ric interrupted with open palms of assurance. "You're in a very unique position right now, Officer Barrett; I would just like to point that out."

"Sir…"

"Let me get to the point," Ric said with an other smile was too insincere for words.

"Please do," Cooper replied politely and held onto his temper and patience. If Morgan found out about this meeting, he could kiss his life goodbye. The last thing he wants is for Corinthos and Morgan to even suspect that he's working both sides of the fence.

"You're in the unique position of taking down one of the biggest organized criminal empire in the East coast region."

"I'm sorry sir but I'm not exactly sure what is it that you think I can do."

"Rumor has it that you run into a bit of financial difficulties. Tell me about them?"

Cooper felt himself squirm. "Family needed some cash fast. I emptied out my accounts and borrowed some to help out. No big deal."

"And the borrowing part, who did you borrow from?"

"I'm not sure how that's relevant, sir."

"I also hear that a certain Mr. Trevor Lancing was seen with you."

Pausing for a moment, "Sir, I can explain."

"No need," Ric shook his head sympathetically. "I know that Trevor Lancing isn't someone you can say no to. He is one hell of a bastard. I should know; he's my father." He smiled in manner that was just a tad too similar to his father. "What did he offer you?"

Cooper played it cool and gave just enough hesitancy to make it real. "He offered… he offered to 'help' me with my loans."

"What did he want in exchange?"

"Nothing sir, I swear. I didn't…"

Leaning in close, Ric looked him square in the eye. "I want you to go back and take him up on the offer. You and I are going to kill two birds with one stone here and my father won't even know what hit him."

Surprised, Coop swallowed hard. Oh, this just keeps getting more and more complicated. He could almost feel Morgan's wrath when he hears about this.

-&-&-&-

The dark headed tiny slip of a girl tossed her yellow shovel in the air, flinging sand, dirt and plastic toy about her in a burst of laughter. She was all sunshine and happiness in a world that was sometimes not so nice to her. And for a child that was born amidst death and danger buried under the wreckage of a derailed train, she was a miracle.

"Hello little one."

The sitter rushed to her charge's side. "I'm sorry but can I help you?" You take your job seriously when the child in your care happens to be the child of the District Attorney and has the power to have you thrown in jail for any little thing. Besides which, she didn't like the looks of this guy.

The smile that should have been charming had it been on anyone else with kinder eyes sent shivers down the sitter's back. "I'm Trevor Lancing," producing a business card and ID for her inspection, "and I'm little Molly's grandfather."

-&-&-&-

_"I'll keep you my dirty little secret, (Dirty little secret) Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret, (Just another regret, hope that you can keep it) My dirty little secret, Who has to know?"_ The song was ridiculous even as a ring tone and he'd be embarrassed if anyone from his heard it but was comfortingly appropriate. He'd had assigned the ring tone shortly after vowing to do the right thing. Didn't mean it was easy though.

The first instinct was the pick it up, if for nothing else than to hear her voice. But he knew it would be a mistake. He won't be satisfy with just hearing her voice now… not after the sound of it and her smile haunted him for many nights.

Which also meant that he could not _not_ pick up. Hating himself and cursing his own weakness, "Hello?"

"Whatcha doing?" she greeted cheerfully.

Johnny could almost see big wide smile and bright eyes shiny with life. "Lulu, you shouldn't be calling me."

"So why did you pick up?" she asked reasonably.

_"Because I'm a fool,"_ he mentally chastised himself. He knew this was a bad idea and he was right. The sound of her sweet voice made him long to see her, to throw a little light onto the bleak darkness that was his life as of late; the cold war between father and daughter trapped the son in between them. But seeing Lulu would be wrong… in so many ways. And yet he was selfish enough to want to risk it because there was nothing else in his life that really made it worthwhile. He needed something to keep his sanity.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Lulu called out with a hint of amusement. Obviously she understood Johnny a little better than he'd like. "Hey, I wanted to invite you to something."

"Lulu," he said firmly, trying to convince himself as well as her, "it's not safe for you to be seen with me." He did the lip service because it was the right thing to do but he couldn't keep the wistful hope from surfacing.

"Depends on who doing the seeing," she corrected reasonably.

Confused, "What?"

"So there's this thing today…"

-&-&-&-

"Ms. Santiago," Mac Scorpio sat down in the empty chair by the woman and held out a cup of coffee had brought in with him. "How is he? Any change?"

Anita glanced down at the cup in her hand blindly for a moment and didn't respond. The it was as if someone had turned on a switch in her, "He is getting better I think." But she knew from what the doctors say that the chances of recover grows slimmer and slimmer as the days dragged on. They try to give you hope but anyone that sits in the chairs by the beds in the intensive care unit knew.

"He is strong," Mac assured her with a grime look. He understood the stats too. "I'm sure that give time…"

"He is my boy," Anita murmured quietly as she reached out and touched Cruz's hand, enfolding it between her own. "Mi niño." She turned and stared at police chief a moment. The tragedy of this was in her eyes. "A mother should never have to buy her young."

"No," Mac agreed wholeheartedly. "No parent should ever have to bury their young."

Reaching out, Anita held her child's hand and not for the first time asked for mercy from God. Thirty years ago, the young and naïve girl that she was then made a horrible mistake but God had gave her miracle. And to protect that miracle, she fled to America in fear and with hope for a brighter future. Now she asked God for another miracle, just one more for her precious child. Just once more…

The machine by Cruz's bed beeped a fraction faster.

-&-&-&-

"I don't want to hear it," Barbara Jean Spencer hurried off the tarmac and into the waiting car without so much as breaking stride. She seem to be doing that a lot lately. "Take us home," she instructed the sunglass-wearing goon behind the wheel.

"Ms. Spencer, I really wish you'd reconsider this," Max Giambetti tried to state his case as he hurried after the firry women he's been charged with seeing to safety. So far, all he's managed to do was piss her off. "Jason says that…"

"I know what Jason said but I've not some young thing that has never seen danger in her life," Bobbie patted the driver's shoulder to let him know she's means business if he didn't start the car. "My baby girl is back in town. If you think I'm going to be staying away when she's facing danger, you obviously don't know us Spencers."

"I know you enough to know you are all trouble," Max muttered under his breath as he scooted in and gave the driver a quick nod.

Lucas Jones, who had wisely decided not to stand his mother's barreling way, buckled up and gave Max, their beleaguered bodyguard, a sympathetic glance. "Dude, give up now. Once Mom has decided on something, it's easier to move the Indian Sea than to talk her out of it." And it was especially true in regards to any of Bobbie's children. "So are we getting to stay at the Brownstone or are we being kept somewhere else?"

"We're going home," Bobbie said in no uncertain term. "And you can tell Sonny and Jason that."

"Ms. Spencer…" Max pleaded.

"It's Bobbie," she corrected yet again. She also felt slightly weird when someone called her that.

"Ms. Spencer," Max repeated with great deference to the woman that gave life to the indomitable Mrs. C. Besides, she seems more of a Ms. Spencer than a Bobbie. And Luke Spencer would definitely take his head off if he was impolite to his only sister. "Your safety is the boss' main concern. Your house ain't exactly equipped to…"

Training her stubborn eyes on him, "I have lived in that house with my numerous husbands and children for the last twenty years. It has withstand some pretty interesting events in this town. It'll still be standing when everything else around here falls apart – so I am going home."

Max had a rather nasty suspicion he was taking his life into his own hands if he didn't do as he was told. "I'll just call Jason and…" the ringing phone saved his ass. "Hello?"

"It's Jason. Bring them to the launch on the pier."

"Um, Sir? Ms. Spencer wants to go home."

"Tell her Carly and I are on our way to Wyndemere now; her brother is calling a meeting there."

"Will do boss," he hung up and pray for a little miracle. "Jason says to take you to the pier because…"

Bobbie practically breathed fire, "I told you to tell him that I want to go…"

Max flinched. "He and Mrs. C are going to Wyndemere right now."

Her daughter's name quieted her. "Why are they going to Wyndemere?"

"_Mister_ Spencer called a meeting."

Lucas couldn't help himself. "Which Mr. Spencer? There's like two of them."

"Mr. Luke Spencer."

Bobbie considered her options for a minute. "Why would my brother call a meeting there? He hates Wyndemere. Wait… Where's Lulu?"

"Wyndemere, I believe. She was turned over to Mr. Cassadine after she got arrested on Detective Spencer's orders."

"She was arrested?!?" she leaves town for a few days…

"You're kidding me," Lucas laughed. Oh he would have loved to have seen his cousin's face when that happened. "Can we go to Wyndemere, Mom? I want to know what's been going on since we've been gone. Sounds like Lulu's been getting into some trouble lately."

"Like father like daughter," Bobbie muttered.

Max raised a brow. _"You're one to talk."_

With a reluctant sigh, Bobbie nodded her head. "Alright. Take us to Wyndemere."

Exchanging a quick relieved glance with their driver, Max nodded his head and prayed for a safe and uneventful trip.

Leaning on the back of the passenger seat, Lucas grinned at Max over his shoulder. "Now don't you regret leaving Milo with Sonny's boys?"

The bodyguard wisely chose not to answer that.

-&-&-&-

The white van pulled up against the bridge's edge, as close to the stone wall as possibly. The door slide open with a hard clang as the wind suddenly jumped a notch. The black plastic wrapped body was tied only with twine and knotted loosely, never intending to actually hold the covering together. There was no need for anything that subtle. The body made a loud and satisfying splash when it hit the water below and the three tasked with the disposal of it didn't linger to watch. They were off again as quickly and efficiently as they arrived. Seventeen seconds, that's how long it took.

It's been three more days before Frederick Jones' mangled body would be found and another four before it would be identified.

-&-&-&-

"Are you sure you want to go?" Jason asked again… which was really unlike him. Spinelli's nickname of Stonecold no longer applied when it came to Jason dealing with Carly. He's been on eggshells since he came home and found her asleep in the ridiculously pink room; like Titania in the woods.

"Yes," Carly answered yet again. "Look, it's not everyday that Luke makes a nice polite phone call asking me to a family meeting. Plus my mom, Lucas and Lulu will be there too; I want to make sure they're okay with everything that's been going on – especially Lulu, that poor kid. And I would really love to see how Spencer is doing." She didn't add that she really didn't want to be at the penthouse alone with Jason right now… not until she had more than a few minutes to process everything. _"Oh god, oh god, oh god…"_

Jason allowed the silence to hold for only a few minutes. "What did the doctor say?" he hated that he was being made to bring it up. Carly usually volunteers so much information that Jason has had to censor her a few times. But now…

"Nothing much," she replied, putting up her best poker face on. She still has no idea what she was going to tell him… and she was going to have to tell him eventually.

"What did Dr. Lee want?"

She turned sharp eyes on him. "How did you know that…" He gave her a look. "Right. Guards." Carly sighed and resigned herself a little to _that_ kind of life. "I asked to see her about something else. I'm out of pills. Figured since I was already there…" she shrugged and made no big deal out of it. It was almost the truth anyways. She did get pills – prenatal pills that is – but there was certainly no need to tell him that… right now.

"So what did the ER doctor say?" getting back to the point she's been avoiding for awhile now. She hasn't said a word about her visit and he was starting to get worried. The only times Carly has kept thing from him was when she was in trouble. At least… that's how it was before. "Carly, if you…"

"I'm fine," she said in all seriousness. There was no need to worry him unnecessarily. He is Jason; he can't help being who he is. "I'm not in trouble, no horrible awful medical crisis you need to be concerned about. I was hungry, lightheaded and sleepy. Not a good combination. See what happens when I get some food and rest – totally okay now."

He didn't believe her but he didn't call her out on it either. It wouldn't do him any good to upset her. "I had some men pack up a few things from the house for you."

"I saw," she replied resentfully. "I hope they didn't mess up my place while they were pawing through my underwear drawers."

If they did, Jason would have their head on a platter.

"Are you sure getting on a boat is a good idea?" Jason asked unnecessarily. He already knew what she was going to say.

"It's a five minute ride," she frowned at him. "What is the matter with you, today?"

The look he gave her pretty much called her crazy. "It may have something to do with you fainting yesterday."

"Will you let that go already?" she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms defiantly. "And for god sakes, don't tell my mother. Bobbie has enough to worry about without you adding fuel to the fire." And god knows her mother has been through plenty without her craziness added to the mix.

Jason grunted something unintelligible and let it go… for now. He and Carly was going to have to talk sooner or later. But apparently, right now just isn't the right time. And he was going to get to the bottom of why Carly fainted for no reason. It wasn't like the usually healthy and hearty Carly that he knew. And judging by the way she was avoiding things so neatly, she was definitely not telling him something.

Carly Roberts may have changed over the years but there were certain things that didn't. And this was one of them.

-&-&-&-

Lulu rushed down the stairs, one hand on at wounded the side and one hand on the banisher.

"Something I can do for you, miss?" Alfred asked as he appeared unexpectedly at the bottom of the stairs.

Offering up her brightest smile, she asked cheerfully, "Where's Nikolas?"

"I believe Master Nikolas is in the solarium with Young Master Spencer and Miss Quartermaine," he answered with the dignity of his station. He raised a brow in question at Miss Lulu's happy smile. He had not seen her smile since she appeared half dragged on the island. It was not a good sign. "Is there something I can help with, Miss?"

Cocking her head, "Do you think my brother would mind if I invited a friend to the dinner tonight? Would it be a problem?"

Seeing as it was common knowledge among the staff that the Master would do just about anything to keep his sister happy, safe and on the island, Alfred felt it safe to say, "I do not believe Master Nikolas would mind at all. It is a gathering of family and friends for you, Miss."

"It's just Lulu, you know." She smiled politely thinking she's stepped into one of those Victorian novels that Professor Martinez is always trying to get them to read. "You can just call me Lulu."

"Yes, Miss," he answered indulgently and politely but completely ignoring her request.

Shrugging her shoulders, "Can you let the cook know they'll be one more?"

"Of course, Miss."

"Thanks," she waved cheerfully and dashed toward the solarium… or the second family room as she called it.

"And there goes a precocious child," Mrs. Lansberry murmured as she passed him. "She's going to give the Master fits before this is done."

"Well, she's certainly her father's daughter," Alfred replied with a smile. "And the Master could use a little life around here."

Rounding the corner, Lulu had to stop and take a breath. _"Okay, not as recovered as I thought."_ And her side hurt again. That was not a good sign. Maybe she really do need to take it easy as everyone seem to be…

"Lulu?" Nikolas hurried over, handing the bottle to Emily as he left the sofa to be by his sister's side. He knew he was hovering but it couldn't be helped. One more trip to the hospital and Nikolas was likely to have a heart attack. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine," waving off the hands being offered, then rolled her eyes when he totally ignored her and helped her to a seat. "Nik, I'm not an invalid."

"Are you okay Lulu?" Emily asked gently. "You look winded."

"Shouldn't have jumped the last steps on the stairs," she admitted as she clapped her hands at little Spencer. "And it didn't help I had to like walk a mile to get here. This place is _way_ too big."

Emily nodded her head in sympathetic agreement. "And I thought the Quartermaine house was bad when I first got there. At least I never got lost living there. I think I've turned a few wrong corners around here a few times now."

"There is nothing wrong with my house," Nikolas replied with great indignity as he reached out and touched his son's soft hair. Spencer looked more and more like a Cassadine every day; he could only hope that his son's sweet nature came from his saintly mother. "And why were you running?"

"Cause I needed the exercise," Lulu answered as she helped Emily tucked the little guy into her arms. "He's so cute."

"Yes he is," Emily replied almost wistfully then cheerfully pronounced, "And he's going to grow up to be just as handsome as his father."

"Oh I think he's going to be cuter," Lulu predicted as she touched those soft baby cheeks of his. "Just look at that little upturn nose. He's got me and Mom's nose. And everyone knows we're the cute Spencers."

"Modest to boot," Emily laughed as hugged the baby tighter to her.

"I'm honest," Lulu corrected as she scooted closer to her former and probably soon-be-to-again sister-in-law. If she wasn't mistaken, her brother was more in love with Emily now than when they got married the first time.

Nikolas gave his sister a look of disbelief, "You're Luke's daughter. Being able to lie well should be a part of your gene structure."

"Hey…" she protested.

"That was a compliment," he informed her with a frown. And it honest to god was – what is the world coming to?

Laughing, Emily settled back with the baby in her arms looking as natural as can be in Nikolas' creepy old mansion. "So why were running around looking for us?"

"I wanted to invite a friend to the dinner tonight," Lulu informed him distractedly. "Would that be okay?"

"I don't see why not?" Emily replied with a shrug. "Nik?"

"Luke called the meeting," he made a frown of concern, "but I don't see why he'd object to you bringing a friend along. But if this becomes too much of a family thing…"

"You can lock up my friend in one of the dozens and dozens of rooms around here," Lulu rolled her eyes and got up again. "I'll go talk to the launch master. Don't worry, I wouldn't think about sneaking off the island."

"You can't anyways," Nikolas smiled rather grimly, "I've already informed every single person on the island personally not to let you off."

"Wow, some trust you have in me," she complied.

He merely smiled, "I know you too well.

Lulu returned the grin with one of her own but didn't say a word.

Emily's brown came down in suspicion; something was afoot.

-&-&-&-

The guards didn't glance twice at the green garbed technician as he slipped into the room, medical clip in hand. The room was empty for once and the only sound was the rhythmic beeping of the monitors that sounded the bed. The stark white sheets bleached and laundered a hundred times before only seem to emphasize just how pale and wane the once tanned and healthy cheeks of the patient now were; and yet there was a vitality that even now could not be diminished. A dark angel at rest.

Opening the chart in his hand, Jamie Rodriguez glanced over the readings, notes and observations of the various doctors, nurses and technicians that been rotating in and out of Detective Cruz Rodriguez's sickroom. There was nothing obvious to be seen by the notes but Jamie had long since learn to read between the notes and what they're not saying. The chances of Cruz Rodriguez waking from the coma were low, making a full recovery was slim and having his life back as a police detective on the Port Charles Police Department was nonexistent. If Detective Rodriguez woke up, the life he knew before this room would no longer be there to welcome him.

And someone was going to have to pay for that.

The heart monitor by the bed, skipped a beat.

Glancing at the monitor, Jamie's heart did too.

-&-&-&-

"Nikolas, why can't you live in a normal house on the mainland like everyone else? Why do you have to play the dark and mysterious count on a freaking island? 'Cause being prince isn't enough to get the chicks?" Lucky complained as he set the sea sick Cameron on the sofa to rest.

"There's nothing wrong with my house," Nikolas replied defensively.

"You have to get on a boat to get home," Lucky gripped as he patted poor little Cameron's back gently to sooth the boy. "How is that _not_ wrong?"

"I grew up in a castle with a working dungeon, a moat and a witch name Helena Cassadine," Nikolas informed his brother has he sat down by his nephew's side. "Wyndemere is about as normal as I've ever had it."

Lucky made a face. "Okay, that's just sad," then shook his head, "not to mention creepy. Especially the Helena part."

"Why are you just standing there?" Elizabeth demanded. "Get your son something to drink."

"You sure he's not going to throw it up on me again?" Lucky asked skeptically.

"Some big bad detective you are. Tiny bit of vomit and you get all wussy on me," Liz muttered as she came over with a wet hand towel for her baby's head.

Blinking rather stupidly, "Did you just call me a wuss?"

"Wuss," Elizabeth repeated as she draped the cold towel on Cameron's forehead and offered her son a sympathetic smile. She didn't like the boat ride either. "Why are guys such babies about babies?"

Emily laughed as she came in to catch the tail end of that. "Well to be fair Liz, we don't exactly have a normal kind of job. I mean, look at the number of bodily fluids we can identify at a glance at the hospital on a daily basis."

"That's right," Lucky snapped his finger with delight. "All I get is vomit, urine and blood."

"And with that, I think that's more than enough on the particular topic," Nikolas made a face and grabbed his son from the crib. "Shall we say hi to your uncle, aunt and cousin, Spencer?"

"And he is officially your cousin now, Spence," Lucky said reaching for his nephew with open arms. "As of Tuesday, Cameron is officially a Spencer."

Elizabeth couldn't keep the grin from her face. "Name change to follow as soon as the paper work gets pushed through with the recorder's office."

"Oh my god," Emily squealed with delight and jumped on Lucky in a hug that reminded them of the girl they knew in high school. "I'm so excited for you. Congratulations! Did you hear that Cameron? You'll going to be Cameron Spencer!"

"He was always Cameron Spencer," Elizabeth replied softly as she gazed up at her husband, the one person she was always meant to be with… they just had to find their way back to one another again. "This is all just paperwork."

"Well I think we have something truly special to celebrate tonight!" Nikolas pronounced as he lifted Cameron into his arms and hugged his nephew tight. "I'll have Alfred bring up the best champagne and…"

"Did someone say champagne? I love champagne! What are we celebrating?" Lulu asked as she fairly skipped into the room, tripped on the edge of the three thousand dollar oriental rug and crashed into Emily trying desperately to regain her balance.

"LULU!" both brothers jumped up at the same time, almost forgetting the two sprites they were holding in their own arms in an attempt to get to their shared baby sister.

"Are you alright?" Emily and Liz asked simultaneously as they reached out and grabbed an arm each, keeping Lulu from crashing face first into the carpet.

"Graceful," Lulu muttered, "real graceful. I don't think I could have made a more dramatic entrance." She rolled her eyes at the horrible chain of events. Seriously, she was going to have to work on that.

"Did you pop a stitch?" Liz asked already getting up to look.

"I'll get my bag," Emily added.

"No stitch popping," Lulu replied backing away from the two medical personnel that looked more than ready to spring into action. "I'm fine. Not a porcelain doll despite what you two and dad thinks." She patted her side gingerly just to make sure.

"That's debatable, daughter of mine," Luke said as he entered with a disgruntled Tracy in tow. "What did you do now?"

"Nothing," Lulu replied innocently as she leaned into her father's kiss on the cheek. "Nice to see that you've stuck around."

"My daughter is putting herself in mortal danger by hanging around with gangsters and gun-totting mob lackeys, you better believe I'm going to sticking around."

"You know, Lulu," Tracy pointed to the blonde hair girl with a frown, "the Quartermaine mansion is more than equipped to…"

"My sister," Nikolas interrupted firmly, "my responsibilities. I've got a round clock trained nurse for both her and Spencer and Emily is always around in case something were to occur."

"Not that we expect anything to happen," Emily added sweetly as she greeted her adopted aunt and uncle. "Hello to you too Tracy."

"Don't you start with me young lady," Tracy admonished with a wiggling finger. "Your grandfather hasn't seen hide nor hair of you in days now. You better report in before he starts thinking you've ran off again."

"Edward knows she safe with me," Nikolas replied defensively.

"That's debatable too," Tracy shot back sharply. "I've got two words for you: Helena Cassadine."

"Do we have to bring Helena into this?" Nikolas and Emily questioned at the same time. The two exchanged a startled glance then grinned unabashedly happy. They were back in synch with one another once again… life didn't get better than this.

"Oh brother…" Tracy rolled her eyes and situated herself into a nearby chair. This was going to be a long evening if these conversations were any indication. "Get me a drink."

"She's much easier to get along with once liquored up," Luke advised and poured his lovely wife the necessary fortification for the evening. Subjected Tracy to the usual Spencer high jinx is pretty hard on her… even Luke had to admit that. But this is family business and the family has been in disarray for a while now. Time to rein it in.

"What is up with this weather?" Bobbie Jean complained as she walked in with her carry on over her shoulder. "It was clear just ten minutes ago in the car. Now it looks like the waves have picked up and a storm is brewing."

"Bobbie!" Luke hopped over the knees of his wife, dumped the drink into Tracy's waiting hands and grabbed his sister into a fierce hug. "How was your trip?"

"You mean my forced imprisonment?" Bobbie raised a brow, not brothering to mince with words. "It was fine. Where Carly?"

"Not here yet," Lucky greeted his aunt with a smile and handed her Spencer. "Need a drink?"

"No," Bobbie tucked Spencer into her arms and headed for the sofa. "I need to see my daughter. Lucas, don't touch that."

"Is this real armor?" Lucas asked in fascination then cut his finger on the ax.

Nikolas looked up from where he was setting Cameron down between Elizabeth and Emily as the two best friends chatted. "Yes, it's fifteenth century Germanic armor. It belonged to my grandfather for a time until…"

"No history lessons please," Lucky held up his hands in defense. "I don't think my head can handle it right now."

"Whoa," Lucas winced at his cousin's sleep deprived face. "What happened to you?"

"Work," was Lucky's only answer.

Luke tisked his disapproval. "If I had raised you right…"

"Thieving and gambling is hardly a healthy living," Tracy interjected holding out her empty glass. "Another."

"Yes, dear," Luke smiled and took the glass.

"Did you bring me anything?" Lulu asked Lucas expectedly, tugging at his arm.

"Don't I always?" Lucas replied easily as he pulled his backpack into his lap.

"You expected him to get you souvenirs while he was in hiding?" Emily asked a little horrified by this.

"Sure," Lulu shrugged, "why not?" She grinned when Lucas produced a lovely scarf and chocolates. "Where'd you end up going anyways?"

"South of France," Lucas replied as he draped the bright liquid blue scarf around Lulu's fair hair. "Thought this would look good with your skin tone. You should try this; it's to die for," prying open the tin lid to the chocolate. "Found this in a little shop by the cottage we were holed up at. Couldn't understand a word the lady was saying but she kept shoving this stuff in my mouth so I wasn't complaining."

"Oh this is good," Lulu agreed with a nod.

"Don't ruin your dinner," Bobbie reminded them.

"It was one chocolate, Mom," Lucas whined mockingly.

"Oh brother," Lucky shook his head at the two. "Hey Nik, I thought you were going to order champagne."

"Oh yes," the Cassadine heir sighed and headed to the bell. It was also chaos when the Spencers were around whether they mean to bring it about or not. "No champagne for you, Lulu. You're still on antibiotics."

"Oh come on…" Lulu complained.

"Why is she still on antibiotics?" Bobbie demanded of Luke "What happened now?"

"Nothing," Lulu answered quickly, not wanting to worry her aunt.

"I heard you got arrested," Lucas poked around his backpack some more and pulled out sticks of flavored rock sugar and handed them to Cameron while Elizabeth was distracted with Lucky throwing a giggling Spencer in the air. "What did you do?"

"Ask my brother," she jerked a thumb toward the detective that was currently grinned goofily at his nephew, " he had me arrested."

"For your own good," Tracy interjected with just a touch of slur to her speech now. "You shouldn't be running around on your own when you've got mob scions on your tail."

"What?" Lucas searched his memory for any part of this. "What is she talking about?"

Lulu waved it off and reached for another chocolate. "So when is Carly getting here?"

"I'm here," Carly answered as limped her way through the door, one arm holding her stomach in, the other securely in Jason's hold. "And I think I'm going to throw up."

"Boat?" Emily and Lulu asked at the same time.

"Argh…" she sat down quickly and put her head between her knees.

"Oh for god sakes," Tracy muttered and got out of the way.

"Hello niece, Jason." Luke saluted with a glassful of Nikolas' finest.

The master of the castle slid a trashcan under her as quickly and subtly as he could. The rug beneath was hand weaved and the staff would never forgive him if he didn't at least tried to protect it.

"I'll get a cold towel," Emily offered with a sympathetic grin.

"Oh honey," Bobbie went to her daughter, "you don't look so good."

"Please don't puke," Lucas begged. "If you do it, I'll end up doing it. It's the smell."

Carly glared at her adopted brother.

"Winds are picking up," Jason informed everyone as he patted Carly gently between her shoulders. She had been green in the face all the way to Wyndemere. "I don't think it'll be safe to leave tonight."

"Plenty of room," Nikolas answered with a shrug. "I'll tell Alfred to prepare…" Alfred chose that moment to appear, his usually dignified face showing displeasure. "What is it Alfred?"

Alfred cleared his throat and announced, "Miss Lulu's guest has arrived."

Lulu jumped up.

And Johnny Zacchara came through the door.

Silence.

"Johnny!" Lulu ran to him. "You made it."

Looking over the stunned and silent faces, Johnny offered her a reluctant smile. "I told you I would."

"Oh no," Lucky groaned and turned to his wife. "Why?"

Nikolas sighed and shook his head then got an elbow in his side. Emily shook her head at him, telling him to behave.

"Baby girl," Luke muttered, "you sure know how to pick them."

"Whoa…" Lucas commented to no one in particular. "Hot."

"Lucas!" Bobbie glanced at Carly then Jason then Luke followed by Lucky, Nikolas, Emily and Elizabeth, and lastly a slightly drunken Tracy. Obviously a lot more has happened since she's been gone. How very annoying. "Will someone please say something?"

Alfred cleared his throat again. "Dinner is served."

_To be continued…_

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* * *


	31. Retribution

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Lorenzo deals out some pain, Claudia toys with new information, Johnny observes Lulu's family, Bobbie recognizes something and Enrico gets a surprise.

**Author's Note**: Wow, talk about surprise. Jonathon Jackson is back in the house! 'Nuff said.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

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**Chapter 31 - Retribution**

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_("I want detail reports by the morning. No screw ups.")_

Lorenzo sat down and regarded Enrico with a critical eye. "Is everything in place?"

"Morgan's people have already taken care of the traitor," Enrico answered distractedly as he continued to scroll through his blackberry for information. "Mr. Lancing should be receiving his surprise momentarily. Zacchara too. We've increased security around the usual places and we've moved Ms. Quartermaine and Lila Rae again. Ms. Quartermaine wasn't exactly thrilled nor cooperative; but we handled it."

"Any word from _Ms_. Zacchara?" not the least offended by Enrico's inattention. The man has been busy in the last few days and it's only been with the things Lorenzo knew about. He was frighteningly efficient.

"She is due to arrive for your meeting tomorrow," the shutter hitting the window caught his attention for a moment. "Storm is coming," in more ways then one.

"Yes," Lorenzo smiled gently. "How is your brother?"

"No change," he answered honestly and without any emotions. He's already done his venting for the day.

Watching with hawk-like eyes, Lorenzo wondered not for the first time what went on behind that enigmatic mask his friend wore at times of stress. But then it was during these times that Enrico excel at what he does best. It doesn't mean that he didn't want to drop a life line for this friend. "There's a doctor in Michigan," Lorenzo pulled the file from the drawer, "that specializes in the long term effects of head trauma." He watched something shift in Enrico's eyes. "He's awaiting your call."

The gratitude did not need to be expressed with words. "He can not be moved until we know…"

"There's no hurry," Lorenzo replied quietly with the assurance of a man that was much too use to having his own way. "When he awakes," he paused and assured his friend, "_when_ he awakes, we'll have the doctor flown in. It's already been arranged with the doctor. Money is a great bargaining tool and hardly a problem."

"Money is always the problem," Enrico muttered as he flipped through the file quickly, noting all the highlights Lorenzo had already taken the trouble to review for him. "Right now, we're simply awaiting…" his phone rang a particular tone. "Rodriquez."

"Get to the hospital," was the instruction from the other end, "_now_." Then click, the line was dead.

"I have to go," Enrico answered Lorenzo's questioning look. "I'll handle the rest from the hospital."

"Keep me informed – of all of it," Lorenzo replied steadily as he watched his friend go with a quick nod of acknowledgement. Anyone that didn't know him won't have picked up on the slight panic in Enrico's dark's eyes; but it was there just before he left. "Luck be with you, my friend."

-&-&-&-

The silence was becoming just a tad frightening, broken only by the sound of metal spoons against fine bone china. Everyone was trying to avoid eye contact for fear of starting something they won't be able to control. Outside, the winds picked up a pitch and rain hit the windows like an annoying child taunting an angry dog. It was a lovely night for a dinner party.

"Good soup." Johnny said into the long silence at the dinner table when his impatient nature got the better of him. _"Well someone has to say __something__."_

"Yeah, real good soup," Lulu agreed with an overly excited nod glad for the opening. "Very onion-y."

"They're shallots," Johnny corrected with an one-shoulder shrug.

"What?" blinking at him.

"Not onions," he informed her, lifting his spoon. "They're shallots," tilting his head toward the floating vegetables in the soup.

Lulu blinked at him again as if he's lost his mind. "Does it matter?"

He actually gave it some consideration. "I suppose not," then offered her that dark angelic smile of his. She returned it automatically.

"Good shallots then," Lucas chimed in cheerfully from Lulu's other side. "Very shallot-y." His amusement could not have been more obvious. And if nothing else, this Johnny person was great eye candy.

"SHALLLLL…" Cameron suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs probably in hopes of breaking the starchy tension in the air.

"It's shallot honey," Elizabeth correctly gently and caught her son's spoon before it made too big of a mess on Nikolas' perfectly set table.

Lucky smiled reluctantly and rubbed Cameron's caramel curls. There was nothing like the giggles of an adored child to ease the stress.

"Old family recipe," Nikolas informed everyone just so there was something to be said. Hey, if the gangster kid can make an effort, so can the prince.

"Cassadines cook?" Bobbie asked in amazement while looking at her soup.

"Oh god," Tracy groaned slight drunkenly, "it's poisoned, isn't it?" then drained her martini glass and pushed her untouched soup bowl away. She was good and tipsy now, much better at dealing the surrounding horde of Spencers.

Nikolas rolled his eyes and held onto his patience while Emily chuckled lightly into her napkin. _"Well at least one of us is enjoying this… that's worth something, I suppose."_ He glanced at Bobbie, "It's Grandmother Leslie's recipe. She made it for me once and I found the taste to be extraordinary and requested the recipe for the cook. It's not quite the same but serviceable enough. And no, Cassadines do not cook – not even with poison."

"Yeah," Emily quipped with a grin, "That's a Quartermaine specialty."

"Oh for god sakes," Tracy muttered, "it was the butler's doing."

"How would you know?" Luke asked with a raised brow, "you weren't even around at that time."

"What's this?" Lucas looked around curiously, sniffing out a story to be told.

"Nothing," Tracy snapped.

"Katherine Bell," Bobbie informed him with a smile. "Long story, I'll tell you about it some time."

"And why would you want to do that?" Tracy demanded.

"Educational proposes," Bobbie and Luke answered rather comically serious at the same time.

"Was it when you were married to Nikolas' uncle?" Lucas wanted to know. He had been too young back then to remember exactly what the craziness at the time was about. And what he does remember he'd rather forgot… for everyone's sake.

Nikolas groaned.

"Don't remind me," Bobbie and Luke replied again in unison.

Lucky rolled his eyes before turning to lean across Cameron to kiss Elizabeth on the temple very quickly. He remember that time too – that was when a girl by the name of Elizabeth Webber walked into his life.

Liz smiled in return then asked, "What was that for?"

"Because I can," Lucky answered simply then glared at Johnny on the other side of her over her pretty little head. "Stop looking at my sister."

"I wasn't," Johnny replied calmly, his eyes flickering over to address the growling man. "I was looking at your cousin," pointing to just beyond Lucky's shoulder.

Carly waved it away, "I'm fine," when half the room turned to her. She glared at the room at large, "I _said_ I'm fine."

"Then how come you got a nice seaweed color around the cheeks?" Lulu asked glad for the diversion away from her brother's hostilities. _"Okay, so maybe inviting Johnny here wasn't the most brilliant move."_

"And you're like badly shifted flour pasty," Lucas added, making a face. His adopted sister really wasn't looking so great. "You're not going to puke again, right?"

"I didn't puke."

"You came pretty close," Lucas argued.

"Shut up," there are moments when Carly really disliked her family.

"Honey," Bobbie got up to go around the table, where Carly and Jason has situated themselves… or rather where Jason had steered Carly into the nearest seat when they entered Wyndemere's formal dining room. "What's wrong? Are you still feeling the motion sickness?"

Not wanting to worry the already nervous Bobbie, Carly jumped at the ready excuse. "A little. My stomach isn't doing do good."

"Would you like to lie down?" Bobbie asked, looking to Nikolas.

"There's a room already set up for her," Nikolas replied, pushing back his chair.

"I'm fine," Carly insisted indicating the table. "Let's have dinner and hear Luke out."

"You fainted yesterday," Jason reminded her.

Nearly giving herself whiplash turning about, Carly brought her heel down on Jason's foot. To Jason's credit, he barely reacted.

"What do you mean she fainted?" Bobbie demanded of the feared enforcer. He stared back at her with his perfect poker face. "Jason, what happened?"

Jason blinked then decided information was probably best given to protect Carly. "She was…"

Carly's elbow connected with Jason's ribs hard enough to knock some of the wind out of him. "I'm fine, mama."

"Carly…" Bobbie warned in that universal mother tone that didn't bode well for anyone on the receiving end of it.

"I need to lie down," Carly announced getting up. She clamp a hand on Jason's shoulder to keep him seated and growled a warning, "And I want to be left alone."

"Honey," Bobbie started.

"Except for my mother," she added with a sweet smile. It was always nicer to have your mom around when you're not feeling well. She was certain it has something to do with hallmark cards and chicken soup and commercials about white picket fences. "Can you help me get there, mama?"

"I'll have Alfred show you the way," Nikolas said getting up to call the butler.

"Which room is it?" Bobbie asked help her daughter up. "I know my way around here."

"The Empress Quarters."

"How appropriate," Carly murmured and followed her mother out the door… but not before she informed Lulu, "You and I are talking later. Don't think I didn't hear about your disappearing act, young lady. _You_ are in serious trouble."

Lulu slouched lower in her chair; it was going to be worse than anything her father and brother threw at her. Lucky and Nikolas exchange amused glances and snickered unsympathetically. Lucas laughed out loud unabashedly, glad to not be on the receiving end of that's to come. And Luke murmured, "give her hell," under his breath while saluting his niece on her way out.

Emily watched her brother with concern then reached over and clasped his rough hand with one of her own. "She's just upstairs and Bobbie will be with her."

Jason regarded his beloved sister with eyes that thanked her silently.

"Well since my sister and niece will be occupied for some time," Luke gave a shrug at the inevitable interruptions to every Spencer party, "Why don't I get to the point of this dinner."

"How about after the fish course?" Nikolas asked. He was hungry but there was no polite way of saying it out loud.

"I hate fish," Lulu muttered, finishing her soup.

"That's why you get lamb," Nikolas informed her, already well aware of his sister's preference. "You too," he told Lucas when the boy opened his mouth to protest as well. The two were so predictable.

"Um…" Johnny raised a finger. "I'm allergic to most sea foods."

Nikolas sighed. Killing the Zacchara scion heir would probably be a bad idea. "Alfred, one more." The ever loyal and dedicated butler merely nodded his head and retreated into the kitchen. "We'll have plenty of time to discuss issues later. It's going to be a long night," looking at the window where the winds were just beginning to rage.

"Oh goody," Tracy muttered into her cocktail.

Lucas smirked, leaning into Lulu with amusement and whispered, "It was a dark and stormy night when the prince gathered his friends and enemy under one roof for what was certain to be someone's last…"

Nikolas hit him in the head with a dinner roll. The prince can't be on his best behavior all the time.

-&-&-&-

The ticking noise should have been a loud and obvious clue but the guards didn't seem to pay it much attention, so occupied were they in their smokes. Too bad – it might have saved their lives.

-&-&-&-

"What do you mean it's gone?" Travor hissed into the phone as he got into his car to return to Port Charles. "It was blown up?" The rage was barely suppressed. "Find out who did it and get me their heads!"

The cell phone cracked in half when it hit the windshield.

"DAMN IT!"

-&-&-&-

The full moon was partially obscured by the thin reedy clouds ushered in by winds that swept the earth the garden path clean. The rain hadn't started yet but it will soon; it was the heaviness in the air that foretold it's arrival.

"Maria hates it when it storms," was the muttered predictions of the man watching the full moon peek around the passing clouds. "It ruins her roses."

Of course, storms didn't ruin roses quite as quickly as the flash fire that swept the entirety of the rose garden two seconds later, fueled by the stream of chemical accelerates that had been liberally trailed in and around the beautiful flower beds so lovingly tended by their master's own hands.

"NOOOO…." The screaming rage was only partly muffled by the thunder clap that came down from the heavens.

Then the storm hit.

-&-&-&-

The thunder clapped hard enough to rattle the windows.

"Wow," Emily looked up a moment from her mash potatoes and frowned. "That was a lot closer than I would be comfortable with."

"Lighting rods and backup generators," Nikolas smiled and patted her hand in comfort. "We're going to be just fine."

Johnny hissed in silence and subtly grabbed his side.

"What's wrong?" Lulu whispered, automatically reaching out for him.

"I'm not sure," he gently rubbed his side, just below his last rib and slowly let out a breath. "Must be a muscle cramp."

"There's like two highly trained nurses in the building and a doctor in training that can take a look at you if you want."

"I don't," but he thanked her with a smile.

"Stop looking at my sister," Lucky warned from across the way.

"Why are you watching us?" Lulu asked exasperated. "Don't you have like a kid you want to be keeping in an eye on?"

"I can watch my kid _and_ kid sister all at the same time. I'm talented that way," Lucky shot back, then got hit in the eye with a well aimed pea.

"You were _just_ saying?" Lulu grinned.

"Now, now, children of mine," Luke directed that wide charming smile of his at his offsprings and motioned toward his newly acquired grandson… well, newly _legally_ acquired grandson. "Part of the reason we're here tonight was to officially welcome young Cameron here into the loving folds of the family."

Emily and Elizabeth clapped enthusiastically.

"That kid is going to need therapy like the rest of us when he grows up," Lucas commented then turned to Liz. "You sure you want to do this to your kid?" Elizabeth laughed while Lulu smacked her cousin upside the head. "I'm just saying…"

"Zip it," Lucky and Lulu warned. Jason, silent until now, smirked.

"Watch it kid," Luke warned with a wiggling finger.

"I'm talking from experience here," Lucas replied in defense. "As someone that came into this family, I think I should speak up about how it was for me and my experiences in being a latecomer Spencer also known as Jones."

"Well," Lulu tilted her head adorably and nodded somewhat with reluctance, "He does kind of have a point."

"See," Lucas sat back smugly.

"HEY!" Luke and Lucky protested… loudly.

"Are they always like this?" Johnny asked Emily on his other side.

"Sometimes worse," Emily replied with a kind smile. She's had years with the Quartermaines to prepare her for the Spencer craziness – the poor kid was getting a trial by fire. It almost makes her feel sorry for him. "Spencers express their love for one another in a sometimes vocal manner. But that's what makes them who they are. They laugh, they fight and they pick on one another," nodding toward Lucas and Lulu now ganging up on teasing Lucky while Nikolas attempted to play peacemaker only to have the Cassadine name throw in his face by Tracy, which sent Lulu and Lucky rallying to their brother's defense. "But when the chips are down and their backs are against the wall, Spencers are there for each other through thick and thin; no questions asked - that's who they are."

Johnny took a breath and absorbed it amidst the sounds of laughter, scoffing, giggles, anger and placating voices. "This can be a little overwhelming."

Emily laughed. "Yes, it could be until you get in there with them and you learn to love it and find yourself loving them as a whole. Just like _I_ love them." She smiled that gentle, caring way of hers as she turned and faced Lulu's new friend full on. "And if you do anything to hurt Lulu or anyone else in that family, I will hunt you down and make it look like an accident." She bit into her chicken she had sliced off in one clean stroke. "Um… Juicy."

-&-&-&-

"Really?" Claudia sat down slowly on the bed, folding her long legs underneath her. This was worthy news. "And I take it he wasn't thrilled?" she couldn't quite keep the giggling amusement out of her tone. "Oh, I'll bet." Kicking off the three inch heels, she sat down cross legged in a most unladylike manner; like a teen on the phone gossiping with her girlfriends. "Keep an eye out on the situation and pull our people back just far enough not to be within firing range but still effective. Thank you Randy, buy yourself something beautiful from me."

Tossing her phone away, Claudia laughed out loud and closed her arms over herself. "Oh my god!"

"Good news?" Logan asked tentatively from where he was seated across the room from her, attempting not to watch as she threw herself about the bed.

"Fantastic news," Claudia's mouth was so wide with a grin of happiness that Logan couldn't help but share her excitement, feeling his lips twitch. "Looks like Daddy and _Uncle_ Trevor stepped on the wrong person's toes."

Logan nodded his head, calming keeping his seat as she bounded out of bed and cross the room in a hurry, stripping out of her tight dress as she went. If he had a little less control, he'd be drooling like any hot blooded American boy would be. But he couldn't forget who she was and what she was, nor forgot who _he_ was and what _he_ was doing there. If he couldn't deliver the Corinthos organization without bringing Cooper a heap of trouble, there's always the Zaccharas. And from what little he's been able to gather to date, the Zaccharas are knee deep in some pretty illegal stuff.

But Claudia Zacchara was a whole different kind of game. Logan's never seen a woman so full of contradictions. Her room was so Spartan that it made Logan's empty apartment looked cluttered. She carried no personal effects but the silver framed photo of a little boy clutching a toy piano; Logan has yet to work up the nerve to ask about the child. A child she lost? And she made no effort to hide the fact that it was the one thing in her room that she will not share with him, and that included herself. She was tough as nails when in public but playful and sweet when it came to her own people. She would look at flowers from street vendors but would never allow herself so much as a touch. She wore only black on black with red accents thrown in now and again but would always skim the sections of clothes full of bright prints she would never buy. She was never relaxed to the point of approachable except when she slept… and even then Logan was so sure.

"Get dressed," she called over her shoulder as she pulled a black draping thing out of the closet. "We're going to celebrate."

Glancing down at his casual wear, "Where are we going?"

"The Metro," she smiled and turned about, swinging her wrap dress one with a fluid motion full of grace and beauty. "This is news worthy to share."

"Care to share with me first?" he asked, getting up slowly. Sudden moves around someone as reactionary as Claudia was a bad idea.

"Daddy's garden just went up in flames," Claudia giggled with delight. "And I'm not even the one responsible."

"That's it? Just a garden."

"You don't get it," slipping on red ass-kicking heels. "That garden is my father's baby. I think he loves those flowers more than he's ever loved anything else in the world except my stepmother. And now that _she's_ gone…" she shrugged and grinned again. "You might as well have stabbed him in the chest." She stopped in the process of slipping on a pair of simple but eye-catching bangles. "I wonder how they managed to get into the garden in the first place. The garden is forbidden to _everyone_."

"Inside job?" Logan tossed out with a shrug as he pulled out dress shirt and clean slacks. Claudia had allowed him one drawer to keep his stuff in; just for the sake of keeping up appearances. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Logan Hayes was Claudia Zacchara's newly acquired toy… and he's been getting plenty of hell for it, especially from Cooper. _"You'd think the guy would be a little more grateful…"_

"Inside job," Claudia murmured softly to herself, considering the possibilities. Her father doesn't trust easily… or at all. To get someone that close to her father as to gain access to his treasured garden – that took skill, nerve, a lot of patience and hell a lot of effort. And isn't someone Claudia wanted to take on lightly.

And if Lorenzo Alcazar has someone inside the Zacchara organization… it's well worth the effort for her to cultivate that particular alliance to the max. Especially if she plans on wrestling control from her unstable father.

"Ready?" Logan asked, shrugging his wide shoulders into the sports blazer that Claudia had purchased for him the day before. It looked good… just awkward on him. He couldn't remember that last time he was in anything but tee-shirts or fatigues.

"On your best behavior," she warned him with a smile just a tad too friendly. "I also want to meet with someone tonight."

"Meet with who?"

"You're not coming."

"Mr. Morgan said…"

"You can tell him that I'm going to meet with Lorenzo Alcazar. And that's it's none of his business."

Logan raised a brow. Now this was getting more and more interesting.

-&-&-&-

"Feel better?" Bobbie asked as she continued to watch her little girl with the sharp observant eyes of someone trained for this.

"Yeah, thanks mama," Carly smiled beautifully with reassurance. She still felt nauseous but didn't want to tell her mother that.

"You still look green," Bobbie observed and held the ginger ale out to her again. "Have some more, it'll help to calm your stomach."

"I'll be fine," Carly repeated and laid down on the bed. "By don't you go back and join the dinner party. I'm sure whatever it is Luke wanted to tell everyone would be a lot more interesting than watching me get sick."

"And why are you sick again?" Bobbie inquired indulgently.

"Bad sea food? Bad boat ride? Who knows…"

"Are we really going to play that game, Carly?" Bobbie asked, gently wiping her daughter's brows. Baby blues came up in question. "I'm a nurse, remember? I know things."

"Mama…"

"And some of it comes from experience too," she reminded her. "And it's not like you haven't been through this twice already. I was witness through most of that too."

"Mama…" Carly pleaded. She didn't want to confront this… not yet.

Bobbie shook her head at Carly, concern etched on her face. "How far along are you?" and more importantly, "And who is the baby's father?"

-&-&-&-

Despite herself, Anita reached for the offered hand as Enrico approached at a clipped pace – her fear overwhelming her sense of pride. She didn't question how he knew or why he was there, she was just grateful not to be alone right now. "They called me. He opened his eyes a few minutes ago but he wouldn't speak with me." Her hands were clammy cold. "The doctors are in with him now."

Enrico nodded his understanding and eyed the roll of uniformed police officers that lined the hall. Anxiety was written on every face. Cruz was much beloved. "Do not rush forward. The doctors will let us know more when they're through. Have faith, Senora."

Anita crossed herself and clutched Enrico's hand harder.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Enrico watched as a blue garbed technician wheeled a large machine toward them. His face was stoic, craved from stone as he approached the long line of police officers awaiting word. Not a word was exchange but the eyes told Enrico what he needed to know…. Which was that they didn't know anything yet. But Jaime was good at his job, he'll find what was wrong and how they can fix it. That's what he was there for.

Neither blind nor stupid, Anita silently watched the technician pushed the large machine through the door, never once glancing her way. It was the non-reaction that tipped her off. No one in the hospital has not looked at her. And that face…

"Who is he?" she whispered, her fingers digging in.

To lie to her would be to undo what little headway he's made with her. "Jaime. He was Father's fourth son after the twins." He squeezed Anita's hand gently. "He's a good man. We have him here to protect Cruz."

"He's been watching?"

"Yes."

She didn't say any more. She didn't want to know just how much of her life is now under surveillance. But if it mean protecting her boy, so be it.

"Mrs. Rodriguez?" the doctor asked.

"Santiago," she corrected out of habit then shook her head at the absurdity of it. Who cares what she is called as long as it was Cruz that called her Mother. "How is he, doctor? How is my son?"

"We're doing a CT right now with a mobile unit. It's not perfect but it'll do for now. I don't want to risk agitating him by moving him."

"But how is he?" Anita wanted to know.

"We won't know for sure until we get the…"

"Is he speaking?" Enrico asked quietly… menacingly.

The doctor too a step back and wished he had allowed Dr. Drake to handle the case when the man had offered. "No."

Anita gave a soft cry of alarm.

Enrico held her steady. "We would like to see my brother now."

"When the technician is done, you may…"

"We will go in now," Enrico informed him and helped Anita through the door. He leaned close, "Be strong. For him."

She nodded, never letting go of his hand.

Cruz was being propped up carefully, large pillows placed behind his back and neck. He looked tired, wane and pale. And his eyes, there was no movement in his eyes.

"Mi hijo," Anita greeted softly as she rushed to the bed, hands clasping her child's in hopes that physical contact will bring her son back to her. There was no reaction from Cruz as he continued to stare blankly ahead.

Enrico stood at the foot of the bed, his face expressionless as he watched the shell that was his brother. Jaime came to stand by him on the pretext of checking the chart. _("How is he?")_ not brothering to lower his voice, letting Jaime know what was up. Anita's eyes came up expectedly.

Jaime hesitated.

"Just tell me," Anita pleaded softly as she stroked Cruz's hand.

"We're not certain," Jaime finally answered, silently glancing at the closed door wondering how long he had before someone came looking for him. "There was internal bleeding in the skull when he was brought in, hence the coma. The CT doesn't show any additional damage but it's hard to say at this point given the trauma he suffered." He looked at Cruz with those same sensual eyes they had all inherited. "If he moved on his own or talked…"

"A little at a time," Anita said with a nod with assurance to her son. "You take it a little at a time, hijo. And you come back to me," the crack in her voice hurt. "I know you will come back to me soon."

"Senora," Jaime approached softly. "You should rest. We will protect him."

"I do not want to leave," Anita protested.

"It will do him no good for you to make yourself ill," Jaime explained softly. "The next few days will be difficult and you need your strength. There's nothing more you can do for him for now. Rest and come back in the morning. I will be here."

"A car awaits you," Enrico added gently. "There is a room at the Metro Court in your name. It is much more comfortable than that motel you have been taking showers in."

"But…"

"We will let no one harm him, Senora. You have my word."

"_Our_ word," Jaime corrected.

Anita still hesitated then glanced at Cruz. He gave no reaction. "I'll be back in the morning. Stay with him, let him not be alone."

"He is never alone," Enrico assured her then watched as she left, a tired worried woman so unlike her old vibrant self that even he was pained by it.

"We need to talk," Jaime said quietly as the door closed the sound of shuffling feet rushing toward. The men and women of PCPD apparently wanted some answers too.

"How bad is it?" Enrico asked, concern aging his face.

Jaime suddenly looked surprisingly cheerful. "It's not," then nodded toward Cruz.

Enrico turned and met the eyes of a _very_ alert Cruz. A brow raised in question.

Cruz shift in bed, his muscles sore from inaction. He cleared his throat, "My mother knows nothing about this and it stays that way, you understand?" His voice was scratchy and painful to hear. Enrico nodded in response frowning in confusion. "I can't endanger her if I'm not a danger to _them_. So we make sure _they_ don't know about me." The frown cleared. "You get me those bastards that ran me down. I want their heads."

_To be continued…_

* * *

Thoughts? Concerns? Feedback?


	32. Complicated

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Bobbie worries about Carly, Lulu and Johnny bond, Wydemere gets some visitors, Lucky catches on and Cruz shows a dark side.

**Author's Note**: I'm so grossed out by the whole Liz and Nikolas thing that I just refuse to acknowledge any of it. Stupid idiotic… did they run out of ways to hurt Lucky or something? Seriously! Does the guy ever get to have a happy life? And another thing, was there really a point in bringing in Rebecca? Does she really matter? I hate unexpected and unnecessary character addition (i.e. Alexis' sister, Emily's sister, another child for Luke? Seriously???). At least let it make sense!

By the way, does anyone know when the Wyndemere tunnels were sealed? I can't remember.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

* * *

**Chapter 32 – Complicated**

* * *

"This is such a bad idea," Logan shivered inside his great big jacket and waited patiently for his friend to come to his senses, as unlikely as that may be. "I repeat, this is a _really_ bad idea."

"I heard you the first half dozen times you said it. But I need to do this before it gets around town and he gets the wrong idea," Coop murmured unconvincingly. "Besides, I didn't exactly have a whole lot of choices here."

"So just let _me_ handle it," Logan suggested yet again because god knows the idiot was too noble and _he_ was too loyal and this was getting _them_ nowhere except freezing their tails off in the middle of the night with a storm moving in. "Can't it at least wait until morning?"

"No," Cooper took a breath and tried to convince himself that he didn't have any other motives in pushing this. "Let's get it done tonight. With the storm coming in, it's less likely that anyone will be out and about; I won't get caught this way."

Logan shook his head. "You're an idiot."

"Like I didn't know that already?" Cooper replied and stomped his feet to get some warmth there. "By the way, aren't you suppose to be somewhere else right now?"

"Vampirella decided that she wants to be alone right now… and I've got to report that one in too," he made a face. He didn't like playing all the sides against each other, it's against his nature to be so… so not him. But you do what you have to do for country and friend, that's the way his mother had taught him and that's the way he had to operate.

"So that's why you're here."

"I'm here so you don't get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. That other thing can definitely wait until morning at a decent hour," he shivered again as a chilly wind swept through him, "and by phone."

"Phones are easily tapped and traces, face to face is much safer."

"Not in your case and with whom you are facing. The guy is a killer."

"We've all killed before Logan; no judgment."

"We killed in the line of duty," Logan corrected him firmly.

"Not me," Cooper faced it honestly, he had to if he wanted to live with himself. How many lives did he directly or indirectly take when he helped One hold Metro Court hostage? "At least Jason Morgan doesn't lie about what he is or what he does," he made a face at that, "Well, not really anyways."

With a sigh of resignation because there was simply no talking to the idiot, Logan tugged at his collar once more and awaited his own precarious fate. "I'll say it again because it needs to be said, this is a _monumentally_ bad idea."

-&-&-&-

"Mama," Carly sat up slowly, "I can explain."

Bobbie closed her eyes, took a breath and reminded herself of her own infamous past. Pot, kettle, glasshouses… and everything else between them. "Just tell me that it's not Sonny's."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Carly smiled. "It's not Sonny's,"

Eyeing her daughter suspiciously, "I'm not sure if you're telling me the truth or just telling me what I want to hear."

"Truth, Mama," Carly held up her fingers awkwardly, "Scout's honor."

"It's two fingers," reaching over to correct the gesture, "and you're hardly the scout type."

"It's three for girl's scouts and Virginia made me go for a few summers when I was a kid," Carly informed her with a smile. "But truly, Mama. I wasn't lying when I said that me and Sonny were through for good. I'm not going to get suckered back into that dysfunctional thing we do."

"Well at least that's something," Bobbie signed and watched Carly's face for a moment. Her baby was worried. "Is it Jax's?"

Giving a laugh that bordered bitterness, Carly shook her blonde locks. "No. I haven't seen Jax since he went chasing after that good-for-nothing brother of his to whatever country he's decided to hole himself up in." It still hurt to know that Jax decided to leave when she so desperately asked him to stay for her sake. But you can't force something that wasn't meant to be, she's learned that the… oh hell. "I'm sorry Mama. I know that you and Jerry were…"

"Water under the bridge," Bobbie reminded her with a smile of reassurance. Again, her many mistakes made her the right person not to judge Carly's situation, whatever it may be. "So… who is it?"

"Um…"

"No judgment," Bobbie assured her. If a mother can't stand by her baby, than who can?

Making a face, Carly could almost hear her mother's head explode. If she didn't like Sonny being the father of her kids, she wasn't sure the alternative was any better to the indomitable Barbara Jean Spencer – Carly almost chickened out. "Jason."

For a moment, Bobbie almost mistook what Carly was telling her. But the look in her daughter's eyes and a quick review of what she herself saw at the dinner table… "JASON?"

"And before you ask: no, he doesn't know yet."

"Well I figured as much," Bobbie closed her eyes and took a breath to calm herself. But really, how could she stay calm. "Jason," she repeated the name as if to affirm it in her mind. _"It's just as bad as if it were Sonny or Lorenzo. Why does it always have to be mob people? Why can't my little girl just have a nice normal relation with a man that doesn't carry guns for a living… and stand on the right side of the law for a change."_ Well, Barbara had to remember that she wasn't always the good little nurse that she is today. She too had once stepped onto the wrong side of the tracks… and produced this precious child of hers. "Okay, it's Jason's. What are you going to do?" The minute the words were out of her mouth, she called herself an idiot. "Stupid question, of course you're going to keep the baby."

"The doctors say that my chances of having another child…"

"I know, honey," Bobbie touched her hand, squeezed it gently between hers. She understood all too well what being told that you may not be able to have a child was like. "How did the two of you even…"

"I… I was stupid," Carly answered, acknowledging it for what it was. "You'd think at my age with two kids I'd know to be more careful. But…" she closed her eyes and remembered that night in Jason's arms; memories she's kept under lock and key hoping not to look back on with regret or.... "It just happened, Mama. I can't take it back."

"You will have to tell him," Bobbie murmured softly more to herself than anything. Another child involved with the mob even before it was born. "And he's going to want to be a part of this child's life."

"Jason always did want kids," she sighed. "When Elizabeth lost the baby…"

"Was that when it happened?" Bobbie asked, quick to pick up on the sequence of events; she was Spencer afterall.

Carly wasn't going to lie to her mother about it. "Yeah... I came back to town to make sure he was alright."

"With people gunning after you?" She understood loyalty but there was a limit she had to draw with her own children. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Jason has always been there to save me," Carly replied calmly, rationally, convincingly. "This was the one time he _might_ actually need me to be there for him. Sam's gone. Sonny and the boys are gone. Emily was going to be at the hospital with Liz. I was gone… he had no one but that weird computer kid… and even Spitzo or whatever he calls himself wasn't around anymore. I just… I just couldn't leave it alone."

Bobbie understood. She really did. When Carly had no one in the world, not even the mother that had given her away, Jason had been there to pick her up and shield her from the world. When Carly had been falling apart with nowhere to turn, Jason had been to keep her sane and safe, holding her up until she could put herself together again for her kids. How could she asked her daughter to do anything less for him? But in Carly's eyes right at this moment, there was something else. "What's going on with you and Jason?"

"I don't know," Carly answered softly, more honest than she really wanted to be. She didn't want to worry her mother.

"Carly…"

"I really don't know," she faced her, blue eyes wide open for inspection. "I realized some things about me and him recently and things are tense between us right now…" she shook her head and gave a soft laugh of irony, "Though obviously not so tense that I couldn't jump into bed with him."

"Honey, things happen when people are hurting."

"I know," she smiled and took a breath. "I'm not blaming anyone or anything… I'm just stating some hard facts for myself." God know she's going to have to sooner or later.

These past weeks have been hard on her, Bobbie could see it on Carly's face. "You're going to have to…"

"I'll tell him," Carly said with a shiver. She didn't know what Jason's reaction was going to be but this wasn't something she could keep from him, not after everything he's gone through now. "I just need the right time for it."

"Baby…"

"I just need a little time so that I know what _I'm _doing. I can't give him false hope… I can't give myself false hope with everything can go wrong," she gave her mother a helpless look. "There are complications that can arise and… This isn't going to be easy, Mama."

Bobbie reached out and held her baby her. "Nothing worthwhile ever is."

-&-&-&-

Lucas slithered over and situated himself next to Lulu on the couch as coffee, tea and after dinner wine were being dispensed about the room. "So?" he grinned at her. "How did you and Tall, Dark and Delicious meet? Tell cousin Lucas all about it now…"

"Shut up," Lulu elbowed him hard to hid the fact that she was blushing from head to toe now.

"Come on," he whined lightly, "I have to live vicariously through someone and it might as well be my favorite cousin in the whole wide world."

"Thanks but I think I'll pass on that position."

"You're no fun," Lucas pouted for about half a second then brightened up. "Fine. So tell me about Jason and Carly then."

Frowning at him, "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on," Lucas gave her an impatient look. "It's obvious that something is definitely up with those two. I'm not a psychology major for nothing. I mean look what happened at the dinner table, when was the last time you saw Carly reject help from Jason?" and that fact that Jason had took it was also well on his mind. He's had years to observe those around him.

Lulu sighed and squirmed in her seat uncomfortably.

"What?" dropping all acts of lightness. If nothing else, Lucas Jones was a Spencer in his loyalties. He may not keep as close a tab on Carly as he should but she was his sister and he cared. Given her lifestyle and the kind of people that traipsing through her world, he wasn't surprised that something had gone wrong. But for it to effect Carly and Jason, it would have to be huge. "What happened?"

Torn between her trust in Lucas and her adoration of Carly, "You haven't been around lately Lucas, you haven't seen what's been going down with not just Carly but everything else that can hurt her."

"What's been going down?" Lucas glanced up as Johnny sat down on the other side of Lulu and passed a coffee cup into her hands. The fallen angel looked concerned.

Johnny looked from cousin to cousin carefully putting together the pieces quickly in his mind then politely asked, "Would you like one?" holding his coffee cup out to Lucas.

"Um… thanks," Lucas took it though he hated coffee.

"I'll be back," Johnny told Lulu quietly, his hand brushing hers lightly in an intimate manner that would have been lost on anyone else but Lucas.

"Well, well…" he murmured and said nothing more on the subject… for now. This wasn't the time to dig into Lulu's sordid love life. Right now, he wanted to know what was going on with his sister. "Tell me what's been happening with Carly and don't spare any details."

-&-&-&-

"Tell me what you remember," Enrico pulled the wheeled stool close to the bed and sat down for a long night. He had checked in with Lorenzo with little details and watched the rest of the police force troop in then out of the room dejectedly in front of a near catatonic Cruz before shutting the door with only he and Jamie behind it.

Eyes the color of liquid chocolate blinked a moment then focused in on the two similar faces before him, Cruz took a breath and swallowed the dryness in his throat. "Can I have some water, please?"

Jamie jumped to comply, keen was he to do something at this all important first meeting with his newly found brother. Jamie had been less than a year old when Anita Santiago had fled with Cruz into the night. He was too young to remember the towering storm that was Jorge Rodriquez descending upon the Compound when he realized what had happened. He had been too naïve to understand the significance of Anita Santiago's defiance of Jorge Rodriguez's control over them all. He only knew that he had a brother… somewhere in America. In his eagerness, Jamie suddenly looked younger than his twenty-six years. "Drink slow, they had to treac you when you were brought it. There's probably some damage from that; it'll heal with time." He held the straw to Cruz's lips.

A little weary and somewhat confused, "Who are you again?"

"I'm Jamie," was the happy eager reply.

Enrico was tempted to do something foolishly juvenile and whack his younger brother on the head. Turning to Cruz, "He's Jasmine Locoaro's son, several years our junior. Do you remember Jasmine?"

Shaking his head, Cruz took a sip of water and winced when it burned icy cold down his abused throat.

"She was the woman father brought to the compound after Carmen Alveraz."

"The twins," Cruz remembered vaguely.

"The twins," Enrico confirmed with a satisfied nod. At least his memory of the past wasn't effected… that he knew of.

"I'm Jamie," he repeated with almost a bounce, "I'm a year younger than the twins," Jamie supplied holding the cup out again. "More?"

"No, thanks," eyeing the eager beaver with suspicion. No one in the Rodriguez family so be so… so… chipper. He turned to his older brother, "Is he always like this?"

"No," Enrico chuckled and tilted his head toward the only other chair in the room. Jamie was an exception in the family in more ways than one. _("Sit down, Jamie. You're making the detective nervous.")_

Startled and a little embarrassed, Jamie complied silently.

"How are the twins?" Cruz asked suddenly. He remembered them… kind of.

"Rosario is married with a son. Marisela entered a convent last year."

"She's nun?"

Jamie's face darkened suddenly and dangerously, making him appear much more like his brothers now. "She didn't really have a choice after what father did."

Cruz didn't ask and neither of his brothers volunteered any more. There were things better left unsaid.

Entrico sighed and shook his head. There would time enough later to catch Cruz up on the details of the family when he wishes to know more. He was just glad his brother was once again himself and more willing to deal with Enrico on some manner. "Tell me what you remember."

"Not much," Cruz admitted with some frustration. He had spent a majority of the past few hours awake trying to recall the last moments before the incident. "We were on the phone talking, there was bright lights and then…" he closed his eyes and tried to picture it all again, silently begging for details that would not come.

"Don't push yourself," Jamie advised glancing at the monitors still connected to Cruz by the bedside. Years of training had him responding automatically to the numbers and charts flashing across the sterile screen. He turned and shook his head at Enrico, advising the eldest brother that this was not a wise course to take for Cruz's sake.

"Don't worry, we'll get the people behind this," Enrico told him very carefully.

"The lackeys will be easy to find, it's the string pullers that will give you trouble," Cruz leaned back and slowly opened his eyes, allowing his half rested mind to wonder and speculate as per his profession. "If you can connect the money to someone higher up in the food chain, then it'll be more likely that we'll know who…" he stopped himself and looked at Enrico very closely. He recognized something in his brother's dark sensual eyes: it was rage. "What did you find out?"

Lying would not get Cruz to trust him, "That he is a smart and very careful man," he admitted and held up a hand to stop Jamie. The boy was too reactive at times; he'll need to learn to curb it before it gets him into trouble. "I've hit a few walls in the search but I will not stop."

"And the lackeys?" Cruz asked even more carefully, a surge of eager expectation coursing through his veins.

"They will give you no more trouble," was the answer given in a tone that left all kinds of ideas to the imagination, most of which were prohibited in all but the most radical countries across the globe.

It said something about Cruz to feel a surge of extreme satisfaction upon hearing that. And it worried him that he would feel that way.

-&-&-&-

"Did you want to go up to check on her?" Emily asked as she pressed the coffee cup into Jason's hands. "I think I know which room it is." At least she hopes she does. She still gets turned about every once in awhile despite all the years she's wondered through the same dark halls… that all looked exactly the same to her.

Jason hesitated, torn between his wishes and Carly's. "She's angry with me."

"I got that," Emily replied with a sympathetic smile. It wasn't a sight she saw every day and it certainly peaked her interest. The strain she saw between her brother and Carly was clearly having an effect on Jason; which was a first. All her life, Jason has been an unflappable tower of strength except in a face of extreme challenges… like the death of their father. But this, this was a whole other side of Jason she's never seen before. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," he replied as per his usual respond. Then he sighed. This was sweet little Emily, the one person who has never once judged him. "It's complicated."

"Isn't it always with Carly?" Emily teased gently.

"Not like this," he answered with a graveness that wasn't his usual emotionless self.

Surprised, "This is serious then?"

"I made a mistake," Jason admitted reluctantly, watching the rest of the room like a hawk, more importantly, the little Spencer family across the way. "A big one."

Emily's eyes followed his glaze to where Lucky, Elizabeth and Cameron were seated on the big wing back arm chair. Lucky had Cameron on one leg and Elizabeth sat partially on the chair arm with her legs tucked around one of Lucky's leg, claiming a place in his personal space for herself as she shared her coffee with Lucky while Lucky shared his cocoa with Cameron. They made an adorably cozy picture of the perfect little family.

Her heart bled for her brother as Emily reached out and took Jason's hand carefully into hers. She understood what he had lost. "I'm sorry." She hadn't gotten to say that to him at the hospital, busy with Elizabeth's fragile state of mind then.

"I'll be alright," Jason replied in all honesty. He still hurt for the life that might have been but he was no longer as certain that he could protect that life; not when he couldn't seem to protect Carly the way she ought to be protected. "You? Are you staying with the guards?"

"Never leave home without them," she reassured him knowing that he needed some control over whatever it was that was happening in his world. "Nikolas has 24 hour patrol and guards at all the usual places I need to be. Between you and him, I couldn't be safer if I were to be locked up in a jail somewhere."

"They can get to you in jail," Jason replied casually, looking at the door once more. "I know I can."

"I didn't need to hear that," Emily groused as she sighed and watched his eyes with a great deal of concern. "I know you and Carly will be okay but I still need to ask if you are going to alright without Carly for a while?" because that was the crux of the problem right now. And Emily couldn't really remember when Jason didn't have Carly by his side… she's actually not sure if Jason would know what to do with himself if there ever came a day when Carly wasn't there anymore.

A flicker of something akin of fear flashed across Jason's baby blue eyes for a second. But Emily saw it. And she shuddered for him.

"Is it that bad?"

He nodded soberly. "I broke something in her," he admitted softly. "And I'm not sure that I can fix it."

"You can," she assured him urgently. She didn't like hearing the defeat in his voice; it frightened her. "You will." She couldn't imagine a world where Jason didn't have Carly. No matter how she and Carly didn't get along in the past, she understand the importance of Carly to Jason. "You and her have gone through a lot more than this and she's always bounced back and you've always been…"

"I think this may be the last straw," Jason heard himself say the words and felt the fusion of fear ricochet through him.

"No one is ever going to take Carly from you," Emily told him firmly. "I don't care what you have to do to fix this but you _will_ fix this. It's going to be alright." She looked across the room at where Nikolas was holding Spencer in his arms and conversing softly with Luke while they both watched Lulu, Lucas and Johnny out of the corners of their eyes. "A connection that is meant to be will defy all odds to survive." Her own history should more than prove the point.

Jason watched his little sister, the one that came with a family that had forced him to run, and felt a sense of awe at the person she has become. The naïve child that had come to Port Charles and had been overwhelmed by the overly loud and bickering Quartermaines has come into her own.

"Hang in there," Emily told him with a gentle nudge in the direction of the door. "Carly's never been able to say no to you before. Press your case. You might be surprised by how effective persistence can be." She smiled and left Jason to his thoughts as she joined Nikolas across the way, taking Spencer from him and joining Lulu by the fireplace.

Sighing, Jason considered taking his sister's advise and going in search of Carly… if nothing else then to make sure she was alight. But a part of him feared that forcing his way back into Carly's world would only serve to push Carly further away from his.

"Word of advice," Luke said quietly as he came up slowly behind Jason, "Let Bobbie take care of Carly for now. I find that my sister is scary efficient when it comes to dealing with problems, she's got a lot of practice at it especially when it comes to Carly."

Jason was silent at that.

"Whatever is going on with you and Carly will work itself out," Luke informed him very calmly as he sipped his sherry. "But whatever is going on with the Zaccharas has best be handled fast. I'm not sure how much longer I can stand watching that kid with my baby girl."

-&-&-&-

"Your brothers are watching us again," Johnny informed Lulu unnecessarily as he fiddled with the porcelain coffee in his hands.

"Ignore them," Lulu said as she happily sat back and watched Lucas throw Spencer into the air while Emily fluttered anxiously by them. "Rather nice of Em to take Lucas away, don't you think?"

"She's giving me and your brothers an opportunity," Johnny replied watching her watching them. She was so pretty with her sunshine hair and bright baby blue eyes. She brightened the gloomy room just being in it.

"Opportunity?" finally turned to see that he was staring at her. She smiled automatically in response and watched the sad gentle smile on that fallen angel's face bloom. "What opportunity?"

"The opportunity for me to mess up and them to have an excuse to kill me," he explained with another devastating smile.

Lulu was having a bit of trouble reconciling the words with the smile. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Can't blame her," he continued rather easily. "You've got a great family."

"A nosy one you mean," she corrected with a roll of her eyes. "Seriously, it's like they can't figure out that I'm not a kid anymore and that I can make my own decision."

"That's not it," he murmured as he sipped coffee and watched the detective and his wife play with their son. "They're worried because you're hurt, you've gotten hurt and you're sitting next to a person that is associated with people that want to hurt you. You're family loves you and they want to protect you from people like me."

"You saved me," she pointed out politely. "I think that speaks for itself. And…" she grinned suddenly, brightly. "If they were dead set against you, you won't have made it onto the island in the first place. Nikolas is scary when he does the Cassadine Prince thing."

"Cassadine Prince?"

"He's a prince," she shrugged, having long gotten use to the idea. "Don't ask. It's weird and scary and his grandmother absolutely hates my dad… and me and Lucky." She considered it a moment. "Actually, I think she hates everyone but Nikolas and Spencer… and even I have doubts on that sometimes given the way she's been messing with their lives."

He blinked several times but couldn't quite get his head straight on that. "I'm sure I need some kind of background story for that one."

She laughed gently and touched his hand. "Sorry… I do that sometimes."

Johnny held his breath and glanced down at the delicate hand over his. _"If you keep looking at me like that, you can say whatever you like." _He felt foolishly like a sap… a teenage boy meeting his sweetheart alone for the first time… probably something out of a Norman Rockwell poster._ "You're an idiot!" _He looked at her face. _"And a goner."_

"Something wrong?" her brows suddenly dropping in confusion.

He shook his head.

"Hey," Emily smiled brightly at the two when they turned to her and she dropped Spencer into Lulu's lap. "Watch him for a moment, okay?"

Lulu blinked and took the baby in confusion.

Johnny glared at Emily for the interruption.

Emily smiled back with satisfaction.

Lucas smirked with amusement.

All in all, a normal situation.

Then the lighting clapped overhead followed a second later by an ear shattering thunder. Cameron, Spencer, Lucas and Lulu screamed in reaction. (Lucas was the only one embarrassed by this.)

"What the hell?" Nikolas muttered as he made his way to the door where Alfred had just opened when the lightning and thunder struck simultaneously.

"Sir," Alfred's normally dignified and unflappable face held a note of concern. "There are two gentlemen that have come and wishes admittance."

"Two gentlemen," Nikolas repeated carefully. "The launch let them out in this weather."

"One of them is a police officer," Alfred informed the master of the house.

"The police?" Nikolas made a face and turned to Lucky, indicating that it might be best for him to join his brother.

Lifting Cameron up and handing him to Elizabeth, who was joined by a concerned Emily with Spencer in his arms, Lucky made his way over quickly. "What's wrong?"

"The police," Alfred replied indicating behind him. "I've put them in the front room, sir." He stepped into their way when Nikolas and Lucky made to go. He gave them a serious look of concern, "They asked for Mr. Morgan."

That brought the two brothers pause.

"What's going on?" Luke asked into the silent room.

Lucky cleared his throat, "Jason, someone's here for you." He gave his one time rival a clear eyed gaze of speculation. "You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

Jason was silent as he passed them and into the front hall. He had a pretty good idea who it was looking for him judging by what he overhead and the reaction from of the two. And to say he was unhappy… well, he was just plain pissed.

-&-&-&-

Logan paces the length of the elaborate room and made a face at the silently waiting Cooper. There was a stillness about Barrett that Hayes didn't like too much. "You look like you're about to face the firing squad in one of those gunfight movies."

"Maybe coming here was a mistake," Coop murmured softly as he stared at the oriental carpet in front of him. He hadn't miss the number of dinner plates and glassware being cleared off the dining room table when they passed the open door. "I think this isn't just a little gathering."

"You mean besides the 'guest list' the launch master was checking off when we got on the freaking boat," he rubbed his stomach gently just remembering the oh-so-gentle ride over from the mainland. His stomach was still rolling with the waves right now… somewhere two miles back. "It might not be too late for us to sneak out of here," Logan pointed out even as his bale rose in his throat at the thought of getting on that damn boat again.

"Yeah it is," Coop murmured as the door opened admitting Jason Moran… and Nikolas Cassadine… and Detective Lucky Spencer. "Oh shit."

"Yeah," Lucky replied darkly, "that about sums it up." Nikolas shook his head and took a position by the door. This may be his home but this was his brother's show.

Wincing, Logan wished to hell he hadn't gotten up this morning. "Detective," he greeted the police officer and nodded to Morgan. "Mr. Morgan, thank you for seeing me."

"Cut the crap," Lucky said sitting down with no intentions of leaving. "Let's hear it," directing that to Cooper Barrett. "You better have a good explanation for being here and…"

"Zaccharas are making a move," Coop answered quickly, hoping to spare Logan for having to spill anything that could come back to bite him later with Morgan. If they can play this off as official business with the police, maybe they can… "Mr. Lancing at the DA's office has assigned me to…"

"When the DA's office have control over police assignments?" Lucky made a face and didn't bother to hide his dislike of his wife's ex-husband.

"Lancing Sr. made an offer and Lancing Jr. wants to you take it?" Jason asked slowly, carefully and darkly.

Cooper nodded but didn't face the Corinthos enforcer. He was going to play this one safe. "Whatever is between father and son, it's certainly not love."

Lucky sighed and didn't ask if Barrett was on the take from Morgan. He didn't want to know. He actually kind of like the kid; he was the good kind that he wished Lulu would be with instead of mobster scions. It hurts his head to even think about it.

"And your part would be what?" Nikolas didn't have the same compulsions.

"The DA wants me undercover to find enough to bury the Zaccharas… more specifically, Trevor Lancing."

Logan groaned. "You want to talk about mixing business with pleasure… wait, is this even pleasurable for anyone?"

"I have no problems digging up Zacchara stuff but I'm not sure if Mr. Lancing knows what his father's is…"

"What about the Zaccharas?" Johnny asked for the partially opened door.

"This is not a good idea," Lulu quipped, pulling at Johnny's arm then stopped when she spotted Cooper, Logan and Jason… all together in the same room with Lucky and Nikolas. It was like a living nightmare. "Oh, this is _so_ not good idea."

"Lulu, what are you doing here?" Lucky scolded.

"Giving Johnny a tour," Lulu explained as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "There's nothing else to do but watch Liz and Emily play mommy with the kids, Tracy is drunk out of her mind and Lucas won't stop snickering about Wyndemere's haunted…" she snapped her mouth shut quickly. She didn't want to be talking about the secret passages for people that might not know about them; namely Cooper and Logan… she didn't want them staging a coup here. "We'll just be moving on."

"Get back to the solarium," Nikolas ordered firmly.

"Lulu," Cooper took a step forward. "I want to…"

She took a step back and warned him, "Stay away from me!"

Johnny's first instinct was to step into the line of fire and put Lulu behind him… and he didn't fight that instinct.

Lucky's first response was also to shield his beloved sister but he was too far away to do it physically. "Barrett, step back," so he could only resort to verbal command. But he also didn't like Johnny. "Hey! Get away from her."

"I'm not the one she's running away from," Johnny pointed out without taking his eyes from the two young men across from him. His fingers itch to reach for the weapon safely tucked behind him but it would be a stupid move and Lulu was too close for him to be effective. Plus those two screamed cop to him. So why would Lulu be… another puzzle for another time. "I'm going to take Lulu back to the solarium," he nodded to Nikolas in acknowledgement of his earlier request.

"Please do," Nikolas replied with a nod, grudgingly acknowledging that Johnny Zacchara was doing his best to protect Lulu… which means that he's not as bad as Nikolas would like to make him out to be. _"Because this can't get any more complicated."_

Cooper watched Lulu go with sad regretful eyes.

And Lucky and Nikolas watched Cooper.

Logan wanted to groan with disgust. _"Yeah, you think you can make it more obvious buddy?"_

Nikolas signed in resignation. _"And another one falls at her feet."_

Lucky rolled his eyes. _"Of course she won't pick the good guy!"_ But then again, "Want to tell me why my sister is so wary of you, Barrett?"

Swallowing the discomfort he felt, Cooper met Lucky's eyes. "It's a long and complicated story."

"You hit on her?" Nikolas asked rather blatantly.

"No," Coop answered.

"He wishes he had," Logan muttered and cross his arms just as the thunder hit overhead. "That sounded bad."

"Storm's rising," Lucky predicted.

"In more ways than one," Nikolas added with a sigh. "Looks like we're in for a long night."

_To be continued…_

_

* * *

_

**2nd Author's Note**: I know my portrayal of the mob is a great deal more violent than what's on the show. I don't advocate violence of any sort but I also want to show that these are not good people... they're mobsters. And when push comes to shove, they are in a very violent business and I want to show that. I'm also not making the police out to be very effective simply because their profession isn't what I want to portray here. I have a lot of confidence in police work and what those dedicated men and women out there do; this isn't a real life story. This is simply entertainment. Please try to suspend your sense of reality. Thanks!

And on that note... what do you think of the story so far? I'm having trouble ending it because it's kind of taken a life of its own probably because I'm having so much fun writing it.


	33. Watching

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Lorenzo gets suspicious, Carly gets evasive, Johnny gets unsettled and Lulu gets an apology.

**Author's Note**: I threw in a few unnecessary scenes in here for the Johnny, Lucas and Coop lovers out there. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the characters later but right now, I'm going to give them some fan-appreciated love.

By the way, this story is _way_ out of control now. I'm not sure how long it's going to be but I'm hoping you will all come along for the ride.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

**Acknowledgement:** I want to thank AdamPascalFan for always leaving thoughtful and encouraging reviews after every chapter. I'm glad you're liking the story; I hope I don't disappoint.

* * *

**Chapter 33 – Watching **

* * *

Lorenzo faced the door as Claudia Zacchara came through it like a dark queen entering her throne room. She had a Cheshire Cat smile on her face and red man-eater heels on her feet. She was practically purring with joy.

Tossing her purse on the coffee table, she made her way toward him. "Corinthos and Morgan aren't so subtle so I'm going to assume that the garden thing was _your_ doing." She was gleefully chuckling with delight as she pluck the liquor glass from his hand and tossed it back in one smooth motion.

Smiling in a non-committal manner, he either confirmed nor denied; merely waited for her to make her move. Patience was a virtue.

She didn't need words. She's done her research and knows opponents well. Opening her long coat, she showed him that she wasn't armed… nor dressed for business. "Want to celebrate?"

-&-&-&-

Lucky sighed and sat down. "Do I even want to know?" jerking a thumb toward closed door.

Logan smirked and shook his head. This was one conversation he did _not_ want to contribute to or be involved in. He liked Lulu Spencer just fine but he wouldn't touch that girl with a ten foot pole, not with the increasingly numerous and dangerous people that hover protectively around her – case in point, the two blood relations that were currently eyeing Cooper like he was the next human sacrifice of some kind.

"Should we be concerned?" Nikolas asked, more to the non-responsive Jason Morgan than the regretful Cooper Barrett. He didn't like his former brother-in-law but understood very clearly that Jason protected those under his care with a furiousness that rivaled none but maybe Carly Corinthos.

"No," Jason answered firmly and sent a clear message to Cooper that he wasn't to be messed with. Lulu Spencer was off limits – permanently.

Coop took it all was silent.

"Fine, whatever. Look," Lucky didn't want to deal with this, "if you're on the take, I have to report you in. There's no ifs or buts about…"

"I'm not on the take," Coop said quietly, convincingly. It was true. He wasn't taking any money from the mob… he was just bartering his cooperation for _their_ silence and _his_ life – no monetary exchange of any kind.

"Coop's not that kind of guy," Logan offered with a shrug. He wasn't above lying… hell look what he does for a living. "He just does what he thinks is good for the overall general kind of thing. It don't matter where, when, who or how." At least that part is true, kind of.

"The department would have something to say about that," Lucky muttered but couldn't ignore the fact that he's broken a few rules himself in the not too distant past. "But that's neither this nor that. What are you doing here right now?"

"I just thought that someone needed to know that Lancing the D.A. and Lancing the attorney for the Zaccharas are running some kind of game between them. I don't want Port Charles to be the battleground for some kind of fatal family feud. It's not good for anyone," Coop could feel the lie on his tongue turn his face red with shame but it was that or risk something even more.

"Lancing is dangerous," Lucky muttered and looked at Nikolas for advice. "Lancing the D.A. that is."

If Nik was surprised, he didn't show it. "Any idea what the father is like?"

"Other than that he works for the mob? Not really. I can do some digging though."

"Through official channels?"

Chuckling as if it was the funniest thing ever, "And have Ric find out about it? No thanks."

Nodding his head, Nikolas offered, "Then I'll see what I can find out from my end. Keep your head down and steer yourself away from the D.A.'s office. I'll let you know what I find."

"Keep Dad in the loop. He's useful when you need him to be and he'll want in if Lancing is involved in putting Lulu in the crosshair here." Lucky turned to Jason. "Are you handling the thing with the Zaccharas?"

For a moment, it looked as if Jason wasn't going to respond but he reconsidered it and acknowledged it with a nod. "They're trying to expand but there's something odd about their operations right now." He looked Lucky in the eye, "They're not above using leverage to gain ground."

Nikolas jerked sharply in reaction. "Lulu?"

"And Carly," Lucky concluded with disgust.

Lightning and thunder clashed overhead. As affects goes, it was a rather effective one.

"Both of them stay here until this concludes," Nikolas stated very simply. He was going to double security and put more people at the hospital with Emily. He was taking no chances.

"Carly will resist," Jason pointed out but didn't disagree. An island can be fortified and there'd be more time to fix a mistake if one is made… not that Jason was ever going to allow another mistake like the last one to happen again.

"So will Lulu," Lucky muttered with disgust. "She's already chomping at the bit to get off the island. I'm mean look who she invited to dinner!" making a helpless gesture at the door. Seriously, his sister was so like their mother it was frightening sometimes.

"She's staying here until this thing is handled," Nikolas reiterated with no room for arguments. He didn't care what Lulu wanted or needed, all he cared about was that she was safe. He promised himself that he'll make it up to his sister later in life, when she lived to be 80 or something.

"I'll talk to Carly," Jason said getting up to leave. It was a battle he was actually kind of looking forward to. It would mean that she had to talk to him.

"Um…" Logan raised a finger to get Morgan's attention before he disappeared into the creepy castle/house.

"What?"

Logan looked uncomfortably at Lucky and Nikolas a moment. How was he suppose to report if those two are blatantly staring at him.

"What?" Jason obviously felt no need to keep anything from Lucky and Nikolas if their goal were the same… protect those that they care about.

"_Ms_. Zacchara went to see _Mr_. Alacazar tonight," Logan watched Detective Spencer's eyes: the man didn't even blink. He didn't know if he was surprised, not surprised or just plain resigned. Nothing is what it seems in this town.

"Keep an eye on her," Jason ordered and left.

Thunder rolled again.

Nikolas sighed. "The launch is probably closed, too dangerous now. You guys can spend the night. Don't wonder around too much, you can get lost pretty quick around here in the dark. Dinner is over but I'll have the cook send you something to eat. Alfred will show you to your quarters."

Lucky got up to follow his brother. "Don't repeat what you hear or see here if you don't want me talking to Mac. I expect you guys to be on your best behavior tonight. And try not to worry the women folks if you run into them."

Coop and Logan were left on their own in an empty room as lightening flashed again and thunder rattled the glass in the windows.

Logan finally blinked and sighed. "Well that went well."

"I need to talk to Lulu," Cooper said to the silent room.

Rattling his ear, Logan thought for certain he had imagined it. "Are you crazy?" Logan asked after a moment of disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait… let me rephrase that question," he grabbed the front of his buddy's collar and shouted right in Cooper's face, "ARE YOU STUPID???" then shook him as if to drive the question home.

"I _need_ to talk to her," he begged, making no move to defend himself.

Closing his eyes and groaning, Logan felt a headache and a bad plan coming on. "You _are_ stupid." He let go with a sigh. _"Stupidly in love."_

-&-&-&-

"Have some tea," Lulu suggested as she took the cold coffee cup out of Johnny's still hands. "It's probably better for you in the long run."

"What was that?" tilting his head toward the main door to the foyer.

"Nothing you need to be worrying about," Lulu advised with a stern look. She did not want Johnny involved in any more trouble than she knew he was already stepping in just by being who he is, where he is and what he was doing there. It was partially her fault – okay it was pretty much _all_ her fault – so she felt some slight obligation to protect him what could potentially be a very dangerous situation. And she wasn't even talking about Jason and whatever he was involved in on a daily basis; Johnny can handle the mob thing just fine without any help from her. But Coop and whatever he was involved with had to be bad news. Plus there was the whole Lucky and Nikolas factor – she would have never expected her brother to be so bullheaded. _"You make a little mistake in life and they think they have to right to rule over you for the rest of yours."_

"But should I be concerned?" Johnny asked then looked up when lightning illuminated the room for one brief but brilliant second.

"Yeah," Lulu agreed with a nod, "You should be real concerned about whether the generator is going to last the night."

He didn't say anything, guessing correctly that she didn't want to talk about the problems that's likely to crop up from what's in the other room. Johnny wasn't blind, he saw the way the two guys were watching Lulu. The taller one had something in his eyes that Johnny understood well: regret… and adoration. He wondered if Lulu realize it yet. _"Well I'm certainly __not__ nice enough to tell her about it."_

"Hello?" Lulu wiggled polish-less fingers in front of his face. "Anyone in?"

Johnny's blinked sensually dark eyes and smiled so slow and beautiful that Lulu felt her heart skip a beat and her breath paused in her lungs.

"Wow," she mockingly fanned herself, "That's some secret weapon you have there." A questioning brow raised. "That smile. You should do it more often."

He felt his cheeks heat. "Not much to smile about in my life," he answered in all honesty.

She felt a wave of sadness from him and responded by reaching over and resting her hand on his. She didn't say a word, just wanted to let him know that she felt his pain. The warmth of their joined hands was enough for now, it gave Johnny a strange kind of peace.

"Knock it off," Lucas warned as he sat down by Johnny. Eye-Candy, that's all he had to say. "Stepmonster Tracy is about to blow a gasket and your dad doesn't look like he's doing much better," tilting his head toward the other side of the room.

"That's definitely smoke coming out of Tracy's ears," Lulu muttered with a roll of her eyes. Really, Tracy's recent streak of protectiveness was really starting to cramp her style.

"And your dad looks like he's about to… oh, interception by Emily." Lucas grinned evilly. "Though I won't count on 'actual' help from that quarter really."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed with a nod and moved his hand out from under hers. "Maybe I should get going before we see blood – more specially, mine."

"Too late," Lucas announced gleefully, "Launch is closed for the evening due to severe weather conditions. Just heard the launch master tell one of the maids to tell the butler to tell the master… Wow, I think that was literally something out of _Gosford Park_."

"Stop it," Lulu reached out and slapped him lightly on the arm. "You sound like Dillon."

"And how is the art house scholar?" Lucas asked, glancing slyly sideways at the yummy Johnny.

"And now you sound like Spinelli," Lulu frowned at him, knowing very well what he was doing. "So stop it."

Johnny decided to take his cues from Lucas. The guy may be a little brainy and quirky but he was a good guy; a guy that desperately wanted to tell him something. "Who's Dillon and Spinelli?"

Lucas rubbed his hands together at the chance for gossip, especially gossip that doesn't involve him. Plus it was time to see how serious Johnny boy was about his favorite cousin. "Dillon would be stepmonster Tracy's son and Lulu's former flame. She had a real thing for him since the day she ran into…OW!"

Withdrawing her fist, Lulu glared at her cousin. "One more word out of you and I'll show you exactly what Lucky's been teaching me."

Because he was kind of finding this weirdly amusing, Johnny decided to follow it up with, "So who's Spinelli?"

"Spinelli is this hacker that's been working for my sister Carly's former husband. He's the techno geek that's been chasing Lulu around town along with Dillon and that muscle guy with the really big… Ow, ow, ow!" jumping away from his seat and away from Lulu's reach. "Guns, I was going to say _guns_." He was having a difficult time keeping the grin off his face.

"Why does Aunt Bobbie even let you out of the house," she stood and grabbed Johnny's arm. "I'm going to my room," Lulu informed him with a glare sharp enough to cut. "And Johnny's coming with me."

"Hang on a second Princess," Luke interrupted when he heard that. "You and your Johnny are going to stay right here until…"

"Launch is closed," Nikolas announced as he and Lucky came back into the room. Lucky made a beeline for Liz and Cameron while Nikolas took in the scene with Lulu and Luke. "What happened?"

"Where's Jason?" Emily asked standing with Spencer.

The sight of his girl and his son put a smile on Nikolas' face. "Jason went up to talk to Carly."

"How's Carly?" Lucas and Lulu asked simultaneously.

Nikolas answered with a shrug. "Bobbie still up stairs with her?"

Luke nodded. "Hasn't come back yet."

"Should I go check?" Emily asked handing Spencer to Lulu as she passed her.

Johnny reached out and caught Spencer under the baby's arms before Lulu could get a good grip. "Why don't you check on your cousin?" then promptly turned around to hand the baby to Lucas. He's never held a baby in his life; this child probably wasn't a good one to start practicing on.

"I think I'll take my son back," Nikolas reached out for Spencer but his son had other ideas. Spencer grabbed a hold of Johnny's collar and simply wouldn't let go.

"Aww…" Lulu giggled amusingly, "He likes you."

But Johnny wasn't having a cuddly, fun moment. "Please get him off of me," trying to put as much space between him and the giggling tugging baby as possible. "I'm not good with kids."

"I think Spencer would beg otherwise," Lucas remarked as he watched the comic scene. "Boy, he's really got a good grip doesn't he?"

"Get him off," Johnny repeated turning to the father.

Nikolas took pity on him, plus he didn't want to risk the kid dropping Spencer. "Come here Spencer. Let's not be labeled grabby by Aunt Lulu's friend here." But Spencer wasn't having it. The stubborn gene appeared to be passed down in a full dose as the baby merely held on tighter and wailed his displeasure when Nikolas tried to take him away. "Now Spencer…" tugging on his son's clinched hands. "Let go." Spencer release his hold only long enough for the adults to breathe a sigh of relief but not enough for them to react before he wrapped his chubby little arms around Johnny's neck. He giggled with delight. "Spencer!" Nikolas admonished.

Lulu smiled gently and touched the baby's fine head of hair, making no effort to help. "Looks like the little guy knows a _good_ guy when he sees one."

Because there seemed to be no recourse, Johnny held the baby a little more carefully. He turned to Lulu, reminding her, "I'm not a good guy."

Lucas shrugged. "I think Spencer disagrees."

"Ditto," Lulu laughed when Spencer planted a wet kiss on Johnny's cheek then giggled at Johnny's discomfort.

Emily studied the scene with curiosity then leaned up against Nikolas to whisper, "And kids are very good gage of character. This bears some watching." She wrapped her arms around Nikolas from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder to watch Lulu help adjust Spencer in Johnny's arms, "Remember, your sister is no fool nor a push over." She could feel him tensing every time Lulu touched Johnny. "If this guy isn't the real deal, she'll make him play with blood." She smiled sweetly, kissed his cheek and cheerfully pronounced, "And she doesn't, the rest of us will."

-&-&-&-

The gentle knock on the door woke the dozing Carly from the light sleep she had fallen into under the gentle watchful eyes of her mother. Bobbie got up to answer it. "Maybe Nikolas sent up food," Carly said hopefully, rubbing her eyes. "I'm suddenly starving."

Bobbie smiled and opened the door.. then wished she could slam it shut.

Jason didn't say a word, just stood there waiting.

Resigned and reluctant, Bobbie looked at Carly and shrugged. "I'll go see about food."

"Mama…" Carly made a move to get out of bed.

"Stay!" Bobbie's voice employed the same no-nonsense tone she used with difficult patients… and Lucas. She's had years to experience getting her way and when it came to the safety and health of her children, she wasn't taking any chances.

Carly stayed where she was and tucked her feet back under the covers.

Pulling the door close, "How is she?" Jason asked quietly as Bobbie made to pass him.

"Don't upset her," she reminded him carefully, glancing at the door. "She's not feeling very well."

"Then I probably shouldn't talk to her right now," Jason admitted with a resigned sigh.

"Why?" she could only imagine all kinds of mob related stuff that might endanger Carly. "What's going on _now_?"

"Nikolas will be keeping Carly and Lulu here indefinitely."

For a moment, Bobbie didn't know what to say. _Then_ she did… she laughed. "Oh that's going to go over _real_ good with those two." She could already hear the screeching. "You do realize who you're talking about right? Carly and Lulu? House arrest? Those two will run; and they're good at it. Carly can disappear without a trace and she's proved it on more than just one occasion. And Lulu? She's more like my Carly than any one of us want to think about. Don't fool yourself Jason, Carly is _not_ going to listen. And neither will her baby cousin."

"Well they're not getting off the island, at least not tonight, so they're going to have to deal with it. And Lucky will have Lulu thrown back in jail is she doesn't."

Bobbie grinned and decided that it was a lesson they're all going to have to learn. "I'm going to wish you luck then. You're going to need it."

Jason watched Barbara Jean Spencer walk away and felt a sudden rush of anticipation. Knocking gently at the door again, he didn't wait for the response before he opened it. Carly sat on the bed, calming facing him. "You alright?"

"Been better," she answered with a careless shrug. "What's going on?"

"Storm is acting up. We're here for the night."

"Figured as much when the generator kicked on," she sighed and fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. "How was dinner? Did Luke tell you guys why he called the family together?"

"No," he moved a little closer to the bed, watching Carly carefully for any reactions, "I think he was just concerned. Lulu bringing the Zacchara kid didn't help the situation."

"Lulu knows who she's doing."

"She's playing a dangerous game."

"She made a friend," Carly corrected. "There's no laws against that."

"Her friend is connected to some very dangerous people."

"So is she," Carly couldn't help but pointed out.

"Who might be psychologically disturbed," referring to the alarming rumors around Anthony Zacchara.

"So am I. In fact, I've actually been committed."

Jason glared at her for that one. He didn't like remembering those dark days.

"Lulu has to learn that on her own," Carly replied resignedly knowing that arguing with him wasn't going to get her anywhere at this point. Plus she said it more to remind herself of her own foolishness and how she had to learn on her own.

"Nikolas is going to be keeping Lulu here for the time being."

"I knew that."

Internally, he braced himself. "And he'd like you to stay as well."

Carly had opened her mouth to respond then shut it quickly when nothing came out. For a tense silent moment, they simply stared at one another. "Alright."

Shock pretty much summed up his reaction. Jason literally had to remind himself to breathe. That wasn't the right response. "What?"

"I said alright," she repeated calmly. "I'll stay here… on the island…. for the time being."

Literally left with nothing to say, Jason simply stood there staring at her.

"What?" she wanted to know.

"You're not going to argue?" already wondering what she was up to.

If she wasn't so confused with everything else that was happening in her life, she'd be laughing at the stupid look on Jason's face. "I said I was going to follow the rules didn't I ? I said I was going to make it easy for you guys to protect me. This is me cooperating. What else do you want from me?"

He didn't say anything. He had been looking toward to a fight; a real genuine Carly fight where she was going to scream and yell and argue until her pretty face turned pink. That was the Carly he had been looking forward to seeing again. Not the one that he had broken. Her acceptance left him hollow. "Do… do you need anything?"

"No," she replied quietly, not sure what she was seeing in those baby blue eyes. "I'm fine."

It hurt, and he realized now that it was pain, to hear those words, to know what she didn't need him. Reminded him that perhaps that was what Carly had felt when she learned of Elizabeth's pregnancy; she had been hurt by his disregard. Her pulling away seemed almost natural and right now when he saw it from where she stood; a defense mechanism that he had no guard against. "I'll be next door if you…"

She shook her head. "When are my boys coming home?"

Hope springs eternal. Every time she made an effort to speak to him now, it fed the flame of hope that he can have more. "When we know that they're no longer threatened. When we know they're safe."

Carly nodded. "I'll stay here, at Wyndemere, until they come home."

And the flame flickered. She would rather live here on Spoon Island than share his penthouse with him. He nodded in acceptance and turned again to leave.

"Jason?"

He faced her.

"I…" she hesitated, her brows coming together to form a frown. "I'm… I…"

"Food's here!" Lucas announced as he backed into the room, arms loaded with a tray of little dishes. "Mom is grilling Uncle Luke so she sent me up with the grub. I kept it light but…" he stopped and eyed the two occupants. "Sorry. Did I interrupt something?"

Carly cleared her throat and smiled for Lucas' benefit. "No, come in. I'm starving."

"Soup," Lucas nodded his head and scooted around Jason Morgan, "That's what you need. Oh, and Uncle Luke is about to kill that yummy Johnny."

"Hey, no stepping on Lulu's territory," Carly admonished as Lucas set the tray before her. "She might actually hurt you."

"That boy is as straight as Robin Hood's arrow. No worries there."

"Robin Hood's arrow? What kind of saying is that?"

"A weird one. Got your attention, didn't it?" glancing over his shoulder at Jason. "Um… did you finish talking to Carly? Should I leave?"

"No," Carly said quickly and grabbed a hold of Lucas's arm. "Jason and I are done."

Jason didn't say anything but his eyes flinched at her words. He simply looked at Carly carefully then left, shutting the door gently behind him.

Carly sat there and blindly stared at the closed door, her face running through the emotions she couldn't dare voice. She felt alone, lost, scared, happy, terrified… and most of all, she felt sad. She came so close to telling Jason… but she wasn't ready yet. She didn't know how she was suppose to face the reality of having one of her deep rooted fantasy come true. Jason's child; she was carrying Jason's child at long last. And she didn't even have to beg, cry, manipulate or do anything of the sort. It was as if god was playing some cruel joke on her. For the first time in the last decade, she was ready to let go and then lightning struck. She lost Jason just as she finally got her wish. Irony was overrated.

"You okay?" Lucas asked seriously. He didn't like the look on Carly's face. She looked ready to break into tears. And like most guys his age, he didn't do well with crying women.

"I'm alright," she took a gulping breath and tried to calm her racing heart.

"Right and I'm the Easter Bunny," Lucas rolled his eyes. "Why do people think it's okay to lie to kids?"

"You're hardly a child," Carly muttered and drank soup.

"But you all treat me like one," he pointed out. "Lulu told me a little about what's been happening around here while I've been gone."

"Sorry you got shipped off again," Carly sipped on soup and hoped he'd drop the subject. No such luck; must be a Spencer thing.

"Are you two fighting?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's what Lulu said too. But you're not normal either."

"Never said I was; I'm anything but normal."

He gave her an annoyed look. "Are you really just going to talk circles around this?"

"I was thinking about it, yeah."

"Carly…"

She finished the soup. "Whatever it is you're thinking, it's not."

"I think you're delusional."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"I think you're delusional if you think you can just cut him out of your life like this. Any smoker will tell you that cold turkey isn't the way to go. You just end up right back where you started."

"That's sick."

"But true," he pointed out.

She glared at him. "Look, can we not talk about this?" she didn't want to discuss this with anyone let alone her adopted brother.

"Fine," Lucas agreed with a decisive nod. "Let's talk about Lulu."

"Alright."

"She's worried," Lucas told her.

"About?"

"You… me… global warming," he smiled annoyingly cute at her. "Alright, mostly you."

Giving him a thoroughly exasperated look and cursing Lulu's wayward tongue, "It was just a small breach in security and it's going to be handled. I was never _truly_ in any danger beside the _usual_ stuff. Hostage are of better use when they remain safe and alive. I may not be G.I. Jane but I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I've had lots of practice at this by now."

Lucas gave her a blank look. "I was talking more emotionally than physically but now that you mentioned it: what do you mean 'breach in security?' You were taken hostage? Again? What happened?" his voice and stance raised with every question until he was practically looming over her.

Carly wanted to smack herself. _"So much for keeping it quiet."_ Great, now her mother was going to find out. She'd kick her own ass if she could reach it.

-&-&-&-

"Not that this hasn't been fun," Lorenzo murmured as he sipped the fine amber liquor from a cut crystal glass, "but what exactly are you doing here?"

Claudia made a face. "I think I made that very clear despite your lack of interest." She tossed back the throat burning alcohol and cringed. "Why do men drink things that hurt?"

"It's a fine and acquired art," he smiled and poured her another three fingers of it. "Sip it slowly. Enjoy the taste."

"I do tequila, not cognac," she informed him but sipped the liquid slowly. It still burned all the way down. "Are you sure…" lifting a stocking toe at him.

Lorenzo smiled in appreciation but decline with a gentle shake of his head.

Sighing and relaxing back into her seat, "I think you might be the first guy to turn me down since I hit puberty."

"Discipline has its rewards," he replied slowly.

"I don't offer very often," she told him, "And I'm selective."

"Dutifully noted."

She rolled her eyes. Claudia hadn't expected him to turn her down. From what little, and there had been very little, she had on Lorenzo Alcazar, he wasn't exactly completely head over heels over Skye Quartermaine, his baby-mama, the way he had been about Carly Corinthos when he took his enemies' ex as wife. His obsession with Carly Corinthos apparently wasn't as over as she had been led to believe. It was something to watch out for.

"Back to business?"

"This wasn't a business visit."

"I don't have any other point of reference with you _other_ than business, Ms. Zacchara."

"Ouch, so formal. Claudia will do." She ran her painted red fingertips around the edge of the glass.

"Fine," he shrugged and glanced briefly at the clock. They were approaching the witching hour. "Let's not beat around the bush Claudia, either of us have the time nor energy for it. I've done enough research on you to know you are not here simply for entertainment purposes and I'm sure you know enough about me to know that I don't like to play games when it comes to my investments. What do you want?"

Claudia made a face and straightened. "Believe it or not, I actually did come here just to chit-chat. I'm not all business you know."

"You should be, especially right now," he told her in that no nonsense tone he employed only ever so often. "Your father is going to be watching you closely. For you to show up so brazenly at my door is not going to send a good message to him."

"I'm not afraid of my father."

"Then you're either too stupid or too naïve to see just how dangerous your father is."

Setting the crystal glass down on the mirrored table carefully, she smiled that vicious dangerous smile of her. "Oh no, I'm neither of those things. My father and I know the game too well. He's got no illusions of my paternal love for him and he knows that I'm coming after him with a ice pick and an iron shove. There is no love lost there."

He raised a brow.

"My father is crazy and he's vicious. Don't mistaken this for some kind of revenge for a bad childhood… though I can see how you might think that." She conceded it with an amused grin. "I'm doing this for my brother and for the power that comes with controlling Zacchara shipping. No mistake, I'm a businesswoman. I know what I'm doing."

"No doubt," he replied with a slight inclination of his head. He also didn't doubt that what she said about revenge was bull. There was bitter anger in her eyes when she spoke of her relationship with her father even if she didn't realize it. That kind of emotion doesn't just go away and isn't the kind that doesn't interfere when you least want it to. Claudia Zacchara may think that she's in complete control of herself and her past but she's not lived enough to realize that the past always has a hand in the future. And this bears watching.

The wheels of events have been set into motion and none of them can make a mistake from here on out. It could very well be their last if they do.

-&-&-&-

"You want to come in and sit for a while?" Johnny smiled in response and Lulu's heart skipped a beat. Fall angel, that's all she had to say. Shaking her head quickly, "Okay, stop it."

"What?" confused.

"The whole smiling thing," she told him as if to remind him. "It's giving me a heart condition."

He chuckled softly – his whole being filled with something wonderful – and leaned in as if to kiss her but then backing off just as quickly. It was wiser on his part not to touch her, and it wasn't about the constant threat of her protective brothers (not that he could blame them). "Good night, Lulu."

"Whoa there," grabbed his arm when he made to leave. She stared at him in disbelief. "That's it? That's all I get? A good night?"

He touched her hand, his heart pumping somewhere in the vicinity of his throat, and gently removed it from his arm. "Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Lulu stared at him slack jawed as he started to turn away. "Wow, I don't think I've ever been rejected quite so…" she never got to complete the thought as Johnny suddenly and unexpectedly turned, grabbed her face and kissed her. They crashed into the wall behind Lulu's back but either one felt it. And for several breathtaking heartbeats, the world came to stand still.

Then Johnny slowly backed away, not quite able to let go of her cheeks where his hand had come to rest at. Breathing in hard, "Don't tempt me Lulu. Please don't."

She took a shaky breath and nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay."

"Good night," he repeated and turned quickly before his baser instincts got the better of him and he end up risking his life for a taste of heaven.

"Night," she called after him weakly and grinned with delight. He was so adorable! She wondered briefly if she wasn't playing with fire by teasing him like that. She knew he was a good guy but she shouldn't forget that he also came from a dangerous world. _"Well, at least he makes no excuses for it and never seem to attempt to hide it."_ She shook herself slightly to get her emotions to calm down. _"Stop it Lulu, you're acting like a silly schoolgirl with her first crush or something."_ She almost laughed out loud at that.

Opening her bedroom door, she reached over and flipped the light switch… then almost screamed. She backed into her door and accidently closed it.

Logan rolled his eyes and tilted his head at his friend on the other side of the massive Victorian four-post bed. "The idiot wanted to talk to you."

Lulu told herself to calm down. "Get out or I'm going to start screaming."

Shrugging his shoulders, Logan headed for the door. "I'm going but he wants a word with you." He stopped when Lulu looked torn as to how to move and was grasping blinding behind her for the door knob. She had eyes like a trapped animal. "Relax, we're not going to do anything stupid with a cop, a prince and an enforcer in the house, all of whom are related to you in some way or other, and no way to get off this freaking island. We're stupid but we're not insane."

That seemed to calm her down and she even cracked a tiny smile. "Fine. Get out," moving away from the door.

"Hear him out," Logan advised quietly as he opened the door and saw that Coop hadn't moved a inch. "Please," he added for good measure. The boy was determined and Logan could only help him out that much. She hesitated then nodded and Logan thanked her with a quick acknowledgement before shutting the door behind him as he left to keep watch.

Lulu moved to the other side of the room, keeping her eyes on Cooper. "You have two minutes."

He didn't need two minutes. "I'm sorry."

Whatever it was Lulu was expecting, that hadn't been it… at least not that bluntly.

"I'm sorry," Coop repeated firmly, quietly and with more regret than he could ever voice. "About Metro Court, coming to Port Charles, not protecting you properly, not telling you… I'm sorry about _everything_."

She stared at him and didn't want to believe him. She had hardened her heart and told herself that she couldn't believe him… wouldn't believe him, won't believe him if he said the words a thousand times.

But she believed him.

It was the eyes. It was always the eyes.

Cooper Barrett had eyes that she couldn't deny. They were good guys eyes, the kind that made you weep because they were eyes that made you feel safe, made you believe in apple pies and hot cocoa. They were eyes that felt something even when they did things they knew were wrong. They were like her father's eyes.

And she believed. She believed because he had eyes that told her that _he_ believed – he was sorry.

Coop felt something heavy inside of him. "I know that what I did was inexcusable and I know that I hurt a lot of…"

"Apology accepted," she told him softly.

He started, doubting his ears. But she was looking back at him with such calm resolve that he had to believe her. "Lulu…"

"Now go do something good," she told him without any inclination to repeat her words. "Telling me you're sorry doesn't do squat. Prove it."

Silence filled the space between them as Coop accepted the second chance Lulu was offering him, a chance to make it right… to show her that he wasn't the bad guy had threatened her and the people she held dear. A chance to be of use. "I will."

"Then I look forward to it," she told him plainly and straightforwardly. "Don't mistaken me, Cooper Barrett, we are _not_ friends. We may never be friends again. And if you do anything ever again that threatens my family…"

"I won't," he swore with a conviction that couldn't be refuted. "It will _never_ happen."

Lulu's eyes spoke of anger and fear even as it offered redemption. "I will be watching you. One toe out of line, even a hint of you…"

"I won't. And Sonny and Jason would have my head first."

She jerked in reaction. "Sonny and…" now it made sense. "The police department."

"It's not all about that."

"Isn't it?" she clinched her teeth together to keep from shouting. It won't do to have her brothers rushing in here and finding Coop in her room. It'll only make things worse for everyone.

"Your brothers know."

"Of course," she took a breath and told herself not to jump all over the place. She was not going to do the stupid. "I don't care who you work for." And she didn't. When you're Luke Spencer's daughter, you learn where the lines are drawn and when to cross them. "You just better remember that I'm not going to stand back if you…"

"I won't," Coop repeated. "Never."

That took the wind out of her sails. She believed him – damn him – she believed. "Your two minutes are up."

He nodded and opened the door.

"Good night," she said out of pure reflex.

The weight lifted a little from Cooper's chest. "Good night, Lulu. Sleep well," and closed the door behind him.

Logan watched Coop's face for a moment, glancing briefly at the closed door behind his buddy's back. "Well?"

Coop let out a shaky breath and almost smiled. "She doesn't hate me."

It would be easy for Logan to tease but he didn't. Coop's been through enough tonight. "Good." Clapping a hand on Cooper's back, "Let's get some sleep. We've still got a long road ahead of us."

"Yeah," he agreed and followed Logan down the dark corridor. But at least the road now looks slightly less bleak. "Hey," looking around suddenly as if seeing the house for the first time. "What's up with the gothic novel setting?"

Groaning, Logan made a face at Coop then laughed. "Welcome back."

_To be continued…_

* * *

Thoughts? Concerns?


	34. Seeking

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Carly seeks a favor, Lulu seeks some answers, Johnny seeks assure, Cooper seeks trouble and Trevor seeks revenge.

**Author's Note**: Long delay, I was off on holiday and then came back uninspired to write. Found my muse again, will continue and hopefully finish this uber-long story by this year.

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

**Acknowledgement:**

* * *

**Chapter 34 - Seeking**

* * *

Knocking gently at the door, Nikolas entered when called and found a pale-faced Carly in bed. "You alright? I'm just checking up on you."

"I'm fine," she answered subdued, which was of course nothing like her.

Frowning, Nikolas came further into the room. "Bobbie said you weren't feeling well and Lucas said you probably needed more sleep. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm alright," she replied gently, her face revealing nothing of the turmoil she was currently facing as she prepared herself to what might be next in her life. She was use to uncertainty but she was use to uncertainly that was backed by certainly that she had someone always at her back. And while she instinctively knew that Jason would be there to take care of her and her child if for no other reason that because he had a strong sense of responsibility, she couldn't help but think that it would be another pit for hers to fall back into. She didn't want that for herself. But how does she keep something this big from him. Even she knew it wouldn't be fair. "How's Lulu?" needing a distraction from her own fractured life.

Nikolas sighed and sat down on the chair by the bed. "Fine I suppose. Safe for now though that may not continue if she keeps hanging around the mob scene…" he seemed to realize what he was saying. "No offense."

"None taken," she replied with supreme calm. "I know what I put myself and my kids through. Lessons learned well."

He didn't argue with her. "You know about me keeping Lulu on the island?"

"Yes."

"Lucky would like you to…"

"I know," she nodded her head. "Jason told me."

He watched her carefully, a little confused by how well she was dealing with this. "So… are you going to cooperate."

"I told Jason that I would. And I'll talk to Lulu. Don't worry."

"Thank you," he said quietly, sincerely.

"Laura was very kind to me when she was around," Carly said so as to ease his mind, why she bothered wasn't something she wanted to dwell on. Guilt was a powerful factor. "And I love Lulu like she's my own sister. I don't want her caught up in anything that she can't take herself out of."

Thanking her with a nod, he got up to leave. "Ring," nodding to the phone by the bed, "if you need anything. The staff is on 24 hour call."

"Boy you do take this master of the house thing seriously."

"It's European," he replied with a shrug.

"I'll have to remember that."

"Good night, Carly."

"Nikolas…"

"Yes?"

"Can… can I ask you a personal question?"

He eyed her warily, not forgetting who he was talking to. "You may ask."

She hesitated, not sure why she was doing this to him. It was a painful subject and one she had been a huge part of. "When you realized that Spencer was yours and…" he frowned at her. "Never mind, forget I said anything."

Closing the door he has opened to leave, "What did you want to ask?"

She looked at him, regret softening her eyes, "Forget it. It's not important."

"Ask anyways," he said, genuinely curious to know now. He's never seen Carly so vulnerable before. There was something fragile and broken about her that tugged gently at his heart even knowing how strong of a person she was, reminded him of someone special. "No judgment," he assured her.

Taking a breath and bracing herself, "When you found out that Spencer was yours and you knew that I had kept him from you; besides hating me, what else did you feel? Were you happy that Spencer was yours? Did you feel obligated to provide for Spencer? Did you feel like you needed to protect your son?"

"Yes," Nikolas answered very simply and without any hesitation. "Joy, hate, delight, love… it came with all that."

"And Courtney? Did you feel that you needed to provide for her, if she had survived? That you had to protect her if…"

"Courtney is gone," he replied without the bitter pain from before. Time does heal wounds. And having Emily helps too.

"I know but if she hadn't been."

"Yes, I would have protected her, provided for her. Because I loved her."

"And if you hadn't loved her?"

Nikolas frowned, not sure where this was going. "I would still provide for her. She's the mother of my child, of course I'd provide for her."

Carly suddenly seemed resigned. "Of course." She took a breath and slumped in the bed. "Thank you."

"Carly," Nikolas came closer for no reason. "If you're in some _other_ kind of trouble…"

"I'm alright," she assured him with a reluctant smile.

Because no one can force Carly to answer when she doesn't want to, Nikolas nodded his head and gave in. "Alright."

"Good night."

"Good night."

"Oh Nikolas…"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Have Lulu's little guest come see me tomorrow before he leaves?" she sat up suddenly, steely eyed and curious. "I want to have a little chat with him."

Nikolas grinned. "Absolutely."

-&-&-&-

Lulu knocked gently on the open door and grinned when three pairs of eyes looked up. "Hello, hello," she greeted softly.

Cameron abandoned the plush tiger he had been juggling with and rushed to his aunt's arms. He was one happy, lucky kid. He had his daddy. He had his mommy. He has a new toy. And now his aunt Lulu was visiting. What more could he possibly want? Well, maybe ice cream but that's about it.

"How are you doing, kiddo?" Lucky asked as neither he nor Elizabeth got up from their warm spots on the bed to greet her.

Picking up her nephew and bringing him back to the bed, she sat down and handed Cameron his toy again, keeping her arms around the little boy. "You two look happy."

Elizabeth smiled, that warm gentle smile Lulu remembered well from years past. This was the Elizabeth that she remembered Lucky falling in love with as a teen. "We're in a good place," Liz answered, one hand linked with Lucky's on the cover. "And you? How are you doing?"

"Alright, I guess," Lulu answered with a pointed look at Lucky. "Not that I like knowing that my police protection also has a link with the criminal world." She smiled cheekily at her brother. "But then again, considering where I came from, I really shouldn't be throwing stones at glass houses."

"I had no idea," Lucky answered honestly as he squeezed Liz's hand. She was looking at him with chocolate eyes that trusted him but had questions. "I thought Barrett was a good seed. If I had known that he was connected to Morgan…" he didn't complete the sentence. He didn't really know what to say.

"He kind of is," Lulu muttered reluctantly, "Or at least not as bad as I thought he was." She shrugged her shoulder. "But you know me, I tend to have really bad taste in men."

"Your friend as case in point," he said with a frown. "So how exactly did you meet the Zacchara heir?"

"Side of the road," she answered standing Cameron up with a grin. "You're getting to be a big boy now, aren't you?"

"Don't use my son as shield, young lady," Lucky told her as he snatched Cameron from her arms. Cameron squealed in delight thinking it was a game of some sort. Elizabeth smiled in response. "Tell me about the demon spawn."

"I'm not telling you anything if you're going to call him that," Lulu informed him defensively. "Johnny has been nothing but kind to me since the moment I hijacked his car so… you bashing him."

Lucky gave his sister a look of extreme annoyance. While her sense of loyalty is to be commended, the targets of her loyalty is somewhat questionable. "Fine, fine… So tell me about this Johnny guy. And why the hell did you think it was appropriate to bring him to a family dinner?"

"Nikolas said I can bring a friend. I did. And no one told me that there was some kind of long kept secret that was going to be discussed. I didn't think it was inappropriate for me to bring a friend to a dinner. Nikolas brought Emily. Carly brought Jason," she reminded him.

"That's different and you know it," Elizabeth supported her husband in this instance.

"I don't see how," Lulu said just to be stubborn.

"Lulu, we're just trying to…"

"Protect me. Yes, yes, I got that. Everyone is always trying to protect me." She rolled her eyes like a spoiled brat. "My life would be so much different if everyone would just stop trying to protect me and let me make some serious mistakes of my own."

"We won't be family if we did that," Lucky replied just as easily.

She sighed. They were going to go around and around until one of them turned blue, she could already sense that. "Can you please just tell me about Cooper?"

Lucky sighed, seeing the mulish looking Lulu's eyes. He's seen it before… on his father. "Alright…" she wasn't going to give up if he didn't talk so he might as well give in now and save himself a headache. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

-&-&-&-

"I want to know what happened," Trevor was seething with rage as he stomped his way through the rain toward the warehouse that was currently surrounded by loud blaring fire engines. The roaring fire was burning merrily along, taking the million dollar worth of merchandise once stored inside with it.

"Chemical fire," David replied with a grim expression. "Everything is gone."

"Does Zacchara know yet?"

"No."

"Keep it that way," Trevor ordered sharply as he watched the flames lick the dark wet sky.

The warehouse had been a personal one. It held a great many ill-begotten treasures he's acquired throughout the years with the Zacchara organization. It was suppose to be his nest egg when he eventually hung the mob out to dry, something other than the Cayman Islands accounts to get him through his old age. Now, in a flash, it was all gone. And even with the insurance, it wasn't as if he could tell the insurance company the _actual_ content of the warehouse; he would only get back a fraction of the content's worth.

He knew exactly who to thank for it.

"Coranthos," he muttered under his breath. "You want to play this game with me, boy? Let's play it big then."

-&-&-&-

"Come in."

"You wanted to see me?"

Carly's smile was simply beautiful: shiny and glowing.

And it immediately put Johnny on the defense.

"Come closer, I promise I won't bite," Carly said, waving the young man over to the bed.

"That's not what I hear," Johnny said honestly.

Surprised by his candor, Carly raised a brow in question. "And what exactly have you heard?"

"Enough to know that you're like my sister," Johnny answered with a shrug. "You know what you're doing and you'll do whatever it is you want no matter what anyone else around you says. Oh… and you're dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Carly never considered herself as such, not with the kind of people that hang around her. "And what exactly is that you think makes me dangerous?"

"You're smart. You're loyal. And you're a mother. That makes you dangerous."

"Being a mother makes me dangerous?"

"You shot a man to protect your son."

"That was a long time ago."

"But you did it. And you weren't sorry for it either."

"I was found not guilty." The sorry part wasn't addressed at all. And the fact of the matter is, she hadn't been sorry… she still isn't.

"Insanity pled doesn't mean much to me," Johnny said grimly. There was something in his eyes Carly could see that had nothing to do being a part of his family legacy. "The fact of the matter is, you aren't afraid to do whatever is necessary to protect your young. I don't see you as the type to shy away from danger either, not having once been married to Sonny Coranthos and Lorenzo Alcazar."

"You forgot Jason."

"I didn't forget," Johnny replied rather calmly. "He's one of the reasons you're so dangerous. Lulu's another one."

"So you do know why I asked you here."

"There could be no other reason," Johnny sighed. "Look…"

Making a face at him, "There could be the fact that your dad is moving into Sonny's territory and that my boys can be used as leverage… which I would not be happy with. Oh… and there's also the little matter of me and Lulu's separate incidences of kidnapping and hostage situation, again not something I look too kindly on. Being endangered has that effect on me."

Johnny winced, he couldn't help himself. Being taught from the cradle to never show weakness was difficult to remember when he felt regret. "I can't promise that I won't happen again. I can only say that… that I have no control over what my father and his lackeys do." He couldn't keep the frustration from his tone. "But I can promise that I would never knowingly put you or Lulu in harm's way. It's not how I…"

"You just said you have no control."

"Doesn't mean I can't manipulate."

She grinned. "Good point…"

"Look, I don't know what is it that you want me to say but whatever I say isn't going to change the fact that I'm a Zacchara. I didn't choose to be but I am. And Lulu doesn't seem to care," he sighed at that little fact, "which may not speak well of her intelligence."

"We're Spencers," Carly informed him with amusement and some pity, "We're smart but don't do well with logic."

"That's… illogical."

"We're heart people," with a quick shrug as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Which means that it wouldn't matter what anyone says, Lulu is going to do what Lulu wants and thinks is right, even if we both know it's not."

He nodded, accepting of her words.

"But…" Carly added, regret already in her voice, "it doesn't mean she's wrong."

Johnny's dark eyes came up to meet hers. "You're not going to ask me to stay away from her like everyone else?"

"Won't do any good if I did," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Lulu will just go looking for you anyways."

He laughed softly. It transformed his whole face.

Carly sighed again. She could see why Lulu was enthralled with this guy. There was something ridiculously charming about darkness. Moth to flame - that's the only thing she could think of to describe it. "That girl is turning into me," she muttered under her breath.

-&-&-&-

The morning sun was blaring bright as Cooper stepped off the launch. The storm had passed and the sky had cleared and everything seemed much more black and white now. He smiled.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, stop it now," Logan warned as he stood unsteadily on the pier. He hated boats. They were worse than roller coaster rides on his equilibrium. Glancing at his watch, he made a mental note to check in with his DEA superiors before they start sniffing around for him and possibly blowing his cover. The last thing he needed right now as to have everyone finding out about his playing every side there was in this town. How the hell did his life become so complicated? Oh yeah… Cooper Barrett.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know that look on your face, dude," Logan took a tentative step toward the streets. He wanted breakfast that didn't include being stared at by the all the members of Lulu Spencer's family. He was pretty certain he got the evil eye from her nephew Cameron. "You're about to do something stupid."

Cooper laughed. "Where we you a year ago when my life went to shits?"

"Columbia," he replied with a grin. "Hot chicas and cold beers." Not to mention illegal weapons, dangerous street drugs and a slave trade.

Giving him a look of annoyance, "Look, I'm just going to hop around see if I can find out something about whatever it is that Trevor Lancing is up to."

"Taking on the D.A.'s dad is not a good idea," Logan told him in a no nonsense tone. The fact that the D.A. hates his father isn't really the issue here. The issue is Cooper is in a lot of trouble as it is and he's going to get into a lot more if anyone ever finds out about his connections to Coranthos. "Just let me handle the stickers parts."

"This isn't your problem."

"Is kind of is."

"You don't have to…"

"Yeah, I do. It's my job," he glanced around to make sure they were truly alone, "On both sides of the law."

"Yeah but I'm the one that's going to get in bed with this fellow so…" Cooper glance around him, his eyes suddenly sharp with intent. "It's better if I'm the one looking for answers. I can at least pay it off as being invested in my debts. I have a feeling Lancing can respect that."

Logan shook his head at the situation they were in. "You're a dirty cop playing a good cop playing a crooked cop. I'm a good guy playing a bad guy playing a sellout." He made a face. "You know, Captain Reynolds would be laughing his ass off right about now."

"If he was still alive."

"He's probably laughing in heaven."

Cooper shrugged. "If he went to heaven. I can think of a few guys that might have wished him to hell."

"You and me included," Logan reminded him. "Remember that 100 miles hike?"

He groaned. "In the desert with only a canister of water? How can I forget? I had so many blistered on my feet afterward, I couldn't walk properly for a month."

"He was on sadistic bastard."

"Who would have probably love this kind of scenario." Cooper grinned in remembering some of the tougher times. "God I hope he's burning in hell."

"What are you talking about," Logan made a face. "I think we are in hell."

"Sometimes, it certainly does feel like it."

-&-&-&-

Jason paused at the door, his buzzing of his phone stopped him in his tracks. "What is it?" He listened carefully to the panicking, huffing voice. "Was anyone hurt?" The answer was yes and a very strong one at that. "Pack it up. I'll call Sonny."

Sighing with frustration, Jason dialed out as he stepped away from the doors to Carly's room. "It's me."

"What's wrong?" Sonny picked up on Jason's tension through the lines.

"The island is gone."

"Gone?" the disbelief was practically tangible.

"Someone set fire to it. The whole thing is gone."

There was a long, heavy pause. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Yeah."

Another long pause dragged out for a full minute. "Take care of it. I'm coming home."

"The boys…"

"Double their guards. Put Max back on the plane. I want him with the boys. Double Carly's…"

"Carly is at Wyndemere."

There was a little surprise but he didn't question it. "Keep her there and put more men on her and Lulu both. Talk to Alcazar. The man might be a bastard but he certain loyalties to them. He'll want to cooperate here."

Jason took the instructions in silence and nodded his head. "I'll see you when you get back."

"I'm going to move the boys once Max gets here."

"I'll let Jeremy know."

"Switch out the pilots too."

"Got it."

"See you in two days."

Jason clicked off and sighed. The situation just got worse.

-&-&-&-

Enrico made his way through the halls of the hospital, dropping off genuine Argentinean coffee and fresh bagels at the nurses' station to charm the ever exhausted staff. The guards at the door raised a brow when Enrico's phone rang before he got to the door. Walking away again, annoyed the interruption, "Yes?"

The news surprised him.

"When?" A moment later, Enrico felt the slight tugging at his lips. "Let Lorenzo know and call me when you details. I want to know what Coranthos does." He hung up and phone and schooled his face. His brothers would be amused by the latest news.

Anita Santiago stood when Enrico entered.

"How is he?" Enrico asked as a formality.

"The same," Anita sighed and reached for Cruz's hand again.

"Why don't you go back to the hotel and rest?" he walked over and shielded Anita from the sight of her only child laying there ever so still. "Mr. Alcazar has arranged for his cook to bring you breakfast and supper. You should eat it. Take care of your body so that you may take care of your son."

"I keep feeling like he will turn his head and look at me any moment," she whispered, her wide tired eyes deep in grief. "Do you think me mad? That I hang on to the hope that he will wake up and everything will be just fine again?"

"No, you are an incredible mother," Enrico answered honestly. "You need not worry about him. My brother is a strong man. When he is ready, he will come back to you just as he was before."

Nodding her head, "You are not like your father, Enrico." She touched his arm in appreciation of his words. "Jorge would have given up on Cruz by now. But you… you've been here every day, watching over him like a real brother."

"I am his real brother," Enrico corrected and turned to catch Cruz's eyes. "And I will protect my family as my father has never done."

"Thank you," she crossed herself and reached for Cruz's hand again. "I will pray that you return to me soon, hijo. Rest well, my son. I will return tomorrow." She turned to Enrico, "You still stay with him?"

"Go rest," he assured her with a nod. "I will stay with him so that he is not alone."

"Thank you," she smiled weakly and left, police escort in tow.

"You should at least talk to her, give her some hope," Enrico told him as he closed all the blinds and sat down in the seat Anita vacated.

"She needs to be completely insolated," Cruz stretched slowly under the sheets. "She spend the whole night in that chair. See if you can talk her into staying at the hotel; this can't be good for her back."

"Worrying about you isn't good for her health," Enrico scolded.

"Don't start with me," Cruz replied and wiggled his toes. "I'm sore, tired and my head hurts all the time. I hate the doctors, the nurses are at least pretty and the guy that cleans the bed pan tries to feel me up every time he comes in here."

It shouldn't be funny but it was.

A knock on the door had Cruz relaxing back into his bed. Jaime poked his head in with an armload of stuff. "Physical therapy," he announced for the guards outside, then locked the door behind him and dumped the stuff into a chair. "How are you feeling today?"

Cruz rolled his eyes and stretched again. "I'm sore."

"Yeah, you would be," Jaime helped him up slowly, lowering his legs one at a time. "Come on, you need to stand up and get your circulation going."

Groaning in pain, Cruz forced himself to stand and take tentative steps around the bed. The small room didn't give him much space to work with but he did the best he could. "Hey, can one of you get me some other kind of pajamas? These are really scratchy and uncomfortable."

Jaime grinned and rotated Cruz's shoulders for him. "I'll see about some nice satin."

"Don't be bringing them in here yourself," Enrico warned sternly. Jaime was a good man but he was careless and emotional. "We're not ready to play all the cards yet."

"Of course not," Jaime made a face at his eldest brother. "I won't be that stupid. I'll drop it off at the nurses' station and tell them that someone had it delivered for the good detective," he grinned at Cruz. "Everyone loves a civil servant."

"Not everyone," Cruz grunted and forced his legs to continue moving. "Did you get Lucky anything to turn over other than a bloodied body?"

"The van was intact," Enrico glanced briefly at Jaime.

"Move your elbows this way," demonstrating the exercise before turning with a quick nod to Enrico. The loose end at the hospital would never be a problem again. "I'll start bringing you weights and heat packs, we'll start your muscle training in a week."

"I want to leave this place in a week," Cruz replied with annoyance. "What are we doing about that?"

"I'm handling it," Enrico informed him with a smile, grade for the sudden trust Cruz had of him. If nothing else, this incident had brought Cruz back into the fold and Enrico couldn't be happier.

"We need to find a way to deal with my mother too," Cruz said grimly. "I don't suppose you found a way for that too."

"Yes and no," Enrico shook his head. "But that is for later. How are you doing?"

"I'm bored and ready," Cruz muttered as he brought his arms over his head, stretching the underused muscles there.

"Me too," Jaime replied with an easy smile. "When do I get to move on too?"

"Next week," Enrico replied glancing at his watch. "Perhaps you should know…"

"What?"

"Lancing thinks that Coranthos blew up his warehouse."

"You're kidding?" Jaime chuckled evilly. "That's a good one."

"And?" Cruz asked, his mind sharper than it had been before his accident. It was as if he was seeing the world much more clearly now.

"And Lancing retaliated."

"He's starting a war," Cruz sat back down and shook his head. "He's determined to find trouble and a way to hurt Sonny Coranthos. And how Sonny is going to be after his blood, what with everything else Lancing as done so far." He smiled suddenly, that beautiful dimpled smile that he shared with his brothers. "Let's help him."

_To be continued…._


	35. Sharing is Caring Sometimes

**Unsettling Realizations **

By Didi

**Disclaimer**: General Hospital, property of the ABC which in turn is property of the Walt Disney Company; which just means that Walt Disney owns the universe. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by little ole me. I am in no way associated with the show and by no means have any control of the direction of how it is going. No malicious intended by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome in the form of lovely reviews.

**Summary:** Luke shares his information; Carly shares her news; Enrique shares his plans and Lucky shares his joy.

**Author's Note**: Yes, I will apologize for a long delay in updates. I've been distracted. I'll try to be better… or just wrap this story up. Sorry!

**Rating**: T

**Key**: "Spoken," _"Thoughts." ("Spanish") _Any questions?

**Acknowledgement:** I thank anyone that is actually still reading this thing. (Please don't kill me.)

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Chapter 35 – Sharing is Caring… Sometimes

* * *

Inexplicable nervous, Jason raised his hand to knock on the door but then hesitated. Medically speaking, he wasn't supposed to be able to feel extreme emotions. And yes… the human brain was an amazing thing, it seems to be capable of anything, including self healing at times. Perhaps that's what this was, his brain had finally fixed itself or found new pathways to rewire the damaged parts from long ago. And that's why he was so uncertain and nervous about walking in there and seeing the woman that he's been trying to deny for years now.

"What's up? Why are you just standing there?" Luke asked as he approached the usually pokerfaced enforcer.

Turning, Jason regarded one of the more unassumingly dangerous man in town. "Why did you call this dinner?"

"Can't a guy want to see his family?"

He offered Luke Spencer a look of complete un-amusement.

Luke smiled indulgingly and nodded toward the end of the hall where they can't be overheard by any number of the rooms along the corridor. "Zacchara and Lancing aren't trifling, they're dangerous and they're coming at you from all sides."

"They've made contact?"

"Lancing has. And he's made an offer."

Jason waited for the answer to follow.

Knowing very well that Jason takes nothing for granted – except maybe Carly – Luke nodded his head and smiled again. "You don't hold my princess hostage and expect me to play nice with you." He patted his breast pocket smugly. "I also added an bit of insurance while I was at it."

Frowning because he didn't like the sound of that, "What did you do?"

"A little ace up my sleeve just in case he decides to try anything with my daughter again," Luke made a face to let Jason know how well that idea was going to go over. "By the way, you might be interested in knowing that Lancing isn't exactly close with his boy. I have a feeling that that relationship has been strained at best and broken at worse. You might want to look into that."

Nodding his head, Jason acknowledged the information with sighed. There were too many things at play right now. "I'm leaving Carly here… temporarily."

"And she agreed to it?"

He nodded again.

Luke's sharp eyes narrowed and he frowned with concern. "What's going on between you and that niece of mine?" He studied the strain on Jason's boyishly handsome face. "You two have been weird since she came back. Did something happen while you were away?"

Shaking his head, Jason looked toward Carly's door again. "We're having a disagreement."

"She's being stubborn again?"

"No," Jason said nothing more. If anything, Carly was being ridiculously reasonable for a change and it was scaring the life out of him. But he didn't want to discuss this with Luke. He wanted to talk to Carly.

"Hey!" Lulu looked at the two men in the corner curiously as she balanced the tray on one arm and prepared to knock with the other. "What are you guys doing over there?"

"Just talking, Princess," Luke grinned and went over to help his little darling. "And how are you this lovely day, daughter of mine?"

Lulu slated his father a curious look of uncertainty, "I'm doing well for someone locked on a island like some sort of bad Greek myth. But then again, I am my mother's daughter so this shouldn't be that big of a stretch," referring to the time Laura had been kept captive on an island by the Cassadines. "And what might you be plotting this morning, my dear father?"

"Plotting?" Luke clutched his chest has been jabbed by a knife. "You wound me, fruit of my loins. How can you say that to your own dear old dad?"

"Because I know you," she sassed and knocked on the door. "You're always up to something, Dad. Don't deny it." She steady the tray again and muttered under her breath, "Fruit of my loins? I feel like I'm back in Martinez's literature class again," and briefly wondered if she's been kicked out of college yet.

"Come in."

"Good morning! I brought…" Lulu shoved the heavy oak door open with her shoulder and presented the breakfast tray proudly, only to find that her cousin Lucas had beat her to it. "Oh hell…"

"You're kind of a late riser," Lucas grinned and patted an empty piece of the bed. "But better late than never I say. Join us. We're having a sibling bonding moment here."

Carly made a face. "More like he's forcing me to eat healthy stuff because he's all into it. What did you bring?" craning her neck to look at Lulu's tray.

"Omelet, country potatoes and toast. I figure bacon would be overkill if you're sick," she set the tray on its legs and carefully climbed into the bed.

"Bacon is never overkill," Carly informed her and stabbed some fried up potatoes. "Um… this is breakfast. Get that oatmeal out of my face."

"You were sick last night," Lucas argued, pushing the bowl of unappetizing mush toward her again. "You need to keep the greasy stuff low and the protein stuff high."

"Eggs have protein," Lulu pointed out, turning the fork around to Lucas. "You should try this. Cook makes the best omelets ever; it's even better than Aunt Ruby's."

"No one cooks better than your Aunt Ruby," Luke corrected her as he came into the room. "Feeling better, Caroline?"

"I was," she grouched at him, sipping on orange juice. "What do you want, Luke?"

"Just to see if my sweet little niece is feeling up to a chat," Luke wondered over and sat down by his daughter's side, glancing briefly at his princess. "How's your wound, Cupcake?"

"Healing, Daddy," Lulu answered sweetly.

"And how's the hoodlum?"

"Doing well and has a shorter rap sheet than you do, Daddy."

Lucas choked on his coffee.

"Very good, Princess," Luke acknowledged at ease. "But remember, he's still young."

"Leave him alone," Carly suggested, sniffing the omelet carefully – there was onions in it. She longed for coffee… and cheesecake.

"Plan on it," Luke replied casually as he picked up a piece of toast.

Looking for one to the other, Lulu asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you leave him alone?" to her father and to Carly., "And why would you tell him to leave him alone?"

"Good advice," Carly and Luke replied at the same time.

Lucas whistled low, dutifully impressed. "Wow, this might be the first time I've seen the two of you agree on something." He faked a sniffle of emotions, "Mom would be so proud." Carly shoved her brother off the bed with a well placed foot on his butt.

"So you're not going to interfere if I decide to continue to see Johnny?" Lulu asked dubiously.

"Not my place," Carly shook her head and poked at the omelet. Nope, she wasn't even going to try. She wondered if she could charm that crabby butler of Nickolas' into giving her cheesecake… with strawberries.

"Stop playing with your food," Luke said, ignoring the incredulous look on Lulu's face. "Eat something before that sister of mine comes up here complaining about us starving you or something." He studied Carly's face a moment. "Princess, why don't you and your cousin go see where your aunt Bobbie disappeared to? I need a moment with my dear niece here."

"No, don't leave," snagging Lulu's arm before she could escape. "You too, Lucas."

Surprised, "But Uncle Luke said…"

"And when did you start paying him any attention," Carly asked with a frown.

"When I decide that it's a good idea sometimes," Lucas answered honestly but sat down by his sister's side again. Carly wasn't up for fighting with Luke; Lucas was pretty sure his mom would be pissed at him if he left her to fend for herself.

"Now, now, Caroline…" Luke admonished.

"Cut the bull Luke," Carly replied with her usual sass. "Whatever it is can be said in front of the legal-aged kiddies. If they can drink, they can hear the family's dirty secrets."

"Then I should probably order more coffee since that's going to take a while," Lucas replied with a grin as he picked up dry toast that has since gone cold. "Ew…"

"You're the one that brought it," Carly replied and made a face as she sipped herbal tea. A part of her wondered how she was going to make it through the next few months without java. Well… in her life, she'd happy if she makes it through the next few months without getting kidnapped or shot at and actually manages to through a delivery like a normal person.

Lulu poked at the omelet in the same fashion as her cousin and made a face. "You might as well get it off your chest Dad."

If Luke thought, even for a second, that his daughter and nephew could be reasoned with, he'd have given it a try. But they were Spencers through and through… and therefore it'd be a waste of time and breath. "Trevor Lancing."

"Big bad ugly?" Carly asked with a smile, "Yeah, we've met."

"Can we prove that he took you?"

"My word against his," she replied easily enough. "And I've been locked up… twice."

"In a mental institution," Lucas corrected firmly.

"That's better than jail?" Carly asked with a dubious look for her brother.

"Yes," Lucas answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not where it counts," she informed him with a smile before turning serious again, "No, there's no evidence in my possession that links him to me." Her brushes with the law over the years has given her some legalese.

"Well we'll just have to change that up a bit, don't we?" Luke said with a nod. "Your mama is going to want to see you again before she takes off. See if you can talk her into going back to wherever it is you've got your boys stashed. It'd be safer."

"Do we have to?" Lucas whined pathetically.

"Mama isn't going to go anywhere," Bobbie informed her brother as she walked in, stopped when she saw the two separate trays already on the bed. "Oh… I guess you won't be needing breakfast," looking down at her own tray.

"Depends on what it is," Carly replied cheerfully, genuinely glad to see her mother.

"Soft boiled eggs, herbal tea and toast. There's also a banana if you want it but I know that you don't like mushy fruits when you're…" she paused and shook her head. "Eat the eggs."

"Better than oatmeal I guess," Carly complained then poked her spoon at it.

"Eat it," Bobbie said in her mom/head-nurse voice.

"It's good for you," Lucas chimed in with a chuckle – which earned him a smack to the back of the head from his mother.

"Don't pick on your sister right now, she's not feeling well."

"Ow… Damaged brain cells Mom," Lucas complained, rubbing his head.

Bobbie glared at him then turned to Carly. "Are you feeling better, honey?"

"Yes," Carly replied with a smile and nodded toward the trays. "Must be all the food."

"You didn't eat any of it," Lucas pointed out with a frown.

"As fun as this conversation is," Luke grumbled with a bow in retreat. He knew a family moment when he saw one and he didn't want to be involved in those one. "I have to be off."

"Where are you going?" Bobbie asked suspiciously.

"To see if I can be of any assistance to some of your nearest and dearest," Luke replied with that roguishly charming grin that has worked well for him in this life time. "Fear not, sister of mine; it will only be good for you."

"I've heard that before," Bobbie replied sourly but nodded her head in acceptance. Her brother will never change… and as far as she was concerned, it wasn't such bad thing. "Try to stay out of trouble."

"Always," he inclined his head and kissed Lulu's cheek. "Be careful Princess. The prince may keep a safe haven here but darkness can creep into even the safest of sanctuaries. Don't let your guard down and beware of everyone... and I mean _everyone_." He gave her a stern look and pat on the head. "Caroline, try to patch it up with Jason. You're driving him crazy."

"Good bye Luke," Carly growled in annoyance.

Wiggling fingers over his shoulder, Luke disappeared again as quickly as he had appeared.

"He's up to something," Bobbie murmured quietly.

"When is he not?" Lulu added with shrug. Her father has been acting weird lately, weirder than usual that is, but for the life of her, she hadn't figured out what it was yet. "But I think this time it might actually for our sake that he's sneaking around with evil."

"Evil?" Carly asked.

"Lucky said mentioned Trevor Lancing snooping around my dad."

"You're kidding," Carly rolled her eyes. "Obviously Lancing hasn't done his research or he'd know that Luke isn't going to sit around while someone threatens his family."

Lucas raised a brow. "Wow, first the whole agreement about the yummy Johnny and now you willingly called him family… This is a day for the books."

Carly shoved her brother off the bed... again. "I meant Lulu."

"And you," Lulu grinned, not the least bit fazed by the her father and cousin's constant game. "Like it or not, Dad does not exclude you from the illustrious Spencer family tree."

"Speaking of family," Carly took a breath, "I want your opinion about something."

"I think you should paint your house yellow; it's much more cheerful than blue," Lucas replied as he dusted his bottom and hopped back on the bed.

Lulu shoved her cousin off the bed again before turning to ask, "You were saying?"

Glaring at her brother, Carly nodded to Lulu, "Thank you. If I may continue… Do you think it's safe enough around here for me to bring my boys back? I can't keep them aboard indefinitely."

"Given that you and I are pretty much under house arrest," Lulu pointed out, "I don't think it's such a hot idea."

"On the other hand," Lucas added as he got p again, deciding to stand now, "given that Mom and I are back and you and Lulu are currently safe on the island, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Consolidate the resources a little, give them less targets."

"Or shooting fishes in a barrel," Lulu muttered with a shrug. "As Dad said, even the best fortress have their weaknesses. Do we really want to make it that easy for them to get to all of us at once?"

"There is that," Lucas sighed with resign.

Carly nodded, "Mama? What do you think? Should I just leave the boys where they are?"

Reaching out, Bobbie took her daughter's hand. "Let me ask you this: do you want your boys home?"

"Of course I want them home."

"Would it make you feel safer to bring your boys home? Do _you_ think it's be safer for them to come home?"

Taking a moment to think it through again, Carly shook her head. Between the kidnapping, the terrifyingly dark tunnel, the deal with the chick in the car… not exactly a healthy and safe place for her boys. And she's rather die than put them in danger. "I guess not." And before she brought her boys home, she really ought to talk to Jason about her impending bundle of problems. Given her track record, it'd probably be another boy.

Well… at least Morgan would be happy, he's been bugging her about wanting to be a big brother.

"Hey," Lucas poked Carly on the arm. "Don't tune out on us here."

"I'm allowed," Carly sighed tiredly.

"How come?" he asked picking up a piece of cold, dry toast.

"Hormones," she muttered and leaned back on the bed.

"Huh?" Lulu and Lucas both stared.

Bobbie winced and gave her daughter a pitying look. Spencers were sharp on the uptake, especially about things they weren't suppose to pick up on.

"Oh my god Carly," Lulu's big eyes went wider, "You're not pregnant again are you?"

"Jeeze," Lucas groaned as if he was actual physical pain. "Like you haven't got enough problems already?"

"Shut up," Carly snapped with irritation. She does not need others telling her what a screw up she is; she was perfectly well aware of that fact.

"Well?" Lulu asked expectedly. "Are you? I didn't hear a yes or a no."

"Leave her alone," Bobbie said quietly as she got up to usher the two youngsters out. Carly didn't need that kind of stress in her life. "Come on now; she's not feeling well. Let's let her get some rest."

"What? That's it?" Lucas asked, surprised by it all. "You can't just leave us hanging here? Well are you?"

At one point she may have lied but she was too tired to even try now. "Yes."

"Holy mother of…"

"LUCAS," Bobbie shoved him out the door and grabbed Lulu's arm, calling over her shoulder, "Get some rest honey. I'll talk to you later."

"Mama, can you find Jason for me?" she shouldn't put it off. The more people that know, the more likely Jason was going to find out. And he needed to hear it from her… he deserved that much. "I need to talk to him."

"Oh he's going to be pissed," Lucas predicted.

"Why?" Lulu asked with a frown. Bobbie paused in the act of closing the door, seeing the startled look on Carly's face.

"Can you imagine?" Lucas replied with another head shake, "Yet another reason and person for him to have to protect. Oh yeah, he's going to be thrilled." He paused and looked back at his sister, "Hey, who's the daddy this time? It's not Sonny again, is it? Didn't you just get another divorce from… HEY!" he almost tripped when his mother gave him shove to get him moving.

"God you're nosy," Bobbie said shutting the door to Carly's room. "You're just like your uncle."

"Which one?" Lucas asked with a grin. "The cool one or the ultra cool one?"

"The nosy one," she replied and pushed him down the hall. "And stop teasing your sister!"

* * *

"What do you think?" Enrique crossed his arms and leaned back against the doorframe, watching the stark, sterile hospital room with sharp assessing eyes. Getting rid of the damn guards had been difficult… not impossible but definitely difficult.

Lorenzo frowned for a second, a deep wrinkle marring his handsome face, before it cleared and a sparkle of amusement lit his eyes. "I think you have been holding out on me."

"My apologies but this is…"

"Family," Lorenzo nodded wisely and smiled. "And I think it's brilliant."

"I'm going to need a contact on the inside," Cruz murmured as he stared at the ceiling.

"I don't like police," Enrique replied sourly.

"I am the police," Cruz snapped.

Nodding in acceptance, Lorenzo sighed. "I assume you mean Lucky Spencer."

"He's my partner," Cruz looked at him with startlingly bright eyes. "I don't like keeping secrets from him."

"Spencer will do what's necessary to protect his family," Lorenzo predicted with a grin, "He's not without his own faults."

"You talking about his father?"

"I was thinking the rest of his family," Lorenzo shrugged and looked at Cruz again curiously. "Your mama…"

"Is not going to be part of this," he warned darkly.

"Understandable," Lorenzo looked at his man. "Have you begun the set up?"

"Yes," Enrique stood a little straighter. "We'll be ready by the end of the week." He looked at his brother, "Will you be up to moving by then?"

"Jamie has been nothing if not strict about my physical therapy. I'll be ready," Cruz nodded.

"Then let's set it up," Lorenzo replied and stood, concluding the quick meeting. "I don't want the Zaccharas knowing about your true condition, not even Claudia. I trust that woman as far as I can throw her. I'm still not convinced of her true agenda."

Cruz nodded and went suddenly slack when the door of the his room suddenly opened.

"Where the hell are the…" Lucky Spencer almost went to for his gun with his son in his arms. He shoved Cameron into Elizabeth's arms and shut the door in her face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Paying my respects," Lorenzo replied calmly.

"Visiting my brother," Enrique shrugged.

Lucky rolled his eyes. "Well can you guys do it some other time? I brought my kid to visit Cruz."

Nodding his greeting, Lorenzo exited without putting up a fuss. Enrique smiled and motioned that he'd be waiting outside when Lucky was done. Making a face, Lucky ushered his wife and son to the foot of the bed and smiled sadly at his catatonic partner.

"Hey buddy, you missed the party." Picking up Cameron, he came closer. "We made it official: Cameron Webber Spencer. Say hi to your Uncle Cruz, Cameron."

A laughing Cameron tried to reach out but his father held him back. "Cruz, Cruz, Cruz..."

"We're waiting for you to wake up and come barbeque with us," Elizabeth added, leaning on Lucky's arm and gently added her hand to Cameron's. "Cameron might feel generous and let you share the new bubble maker Lulu bought for him. It's pretty nifty."

"BUBBLES!" Cameron screamed at the top of lungs and laughed. "Cruz come play with bubbles!" he nodded curly mop head with a definite pronouncement.

"You hear that partner?" Lucky smiled and held his son tighter. "My son's already promised so you better be waking up soon while this weather holds. I'm not freezing my ass off during winter to watch you play bubbles with my son. And my grandmother would have a cow if we use that soap machine in the house."

Elizabeth laughed, gently hitting Lucky on the arm before reaching out to squeeze Cruz's hand. "Wake up Cruz. We're all waiting for you to come home."

Lucky nodded in agreement before handing Cameron to his mother. "Honey, why don't you take the baby home and I'll be there soon. I'm just going to discuss some things with Cruz's brother."

Nodding in understanding, Elizabeth said her goodbye and allowed Enrique back into the room. But not before a quick, "Don't involve my husband in anything I'm not going to be happy to hear about. I'll sic my son on you if you do." Cameron stuck his tongue out obediently.

Enrique grinned and shut the door. "You have a beautiful wife and son."

"Keep them out of whatever the hell you're planning."

"I don't involve families," he replied hands up in defense. He nodded toward Cruz.

Confused, Lucky hesitated a moment before turning and almost jumped out of his skin at the clear eyed stare from his presumably non-responsive friend. "What the…"

"It's about freaking time you adopted that kid!" Cruz grinned and rolled his eyes. "Seriously, everyone says you're smart but you're not too fast on the uptake on that one."

"How did you… when did you…"

Enrique pulled up a chair and urged the good detective to sit. "This may take a while, sit down. My brother has many things he'd like to talk to you about."

Cruz nodded and watched as a stunned Lucky slowly took a seat, never taking his eyes off his partner. "Let me begin again. But know that I would understand if you choose another path. I would never willingly jeopardize you or yours for any reason, my friend."

Blinking back his confusion, Lucky gave himself a moment to digest what Cruz was saying. Then he turned and looked at Enrique for a moment. The brother did nothing but met his gaze with steady conviction. Coming to a decision, Lucky turned back and regarded the partner that's always been at his back with a honest nod of acceptance. "Tell me what's going on."

_to be continued…_


End file.
